Watch Hanzo the Razor: Who's Got the Gold? For Free

Don't Believe the Hype

The acting in this movie is really good.

It’s fine. It's literally the definition of a fine movie. You’ve seen it before, you know every beat and outcome before the characters even do. Only question is how much escapism you’re looking for.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

This is the final film from the outrageously wacky Hanzo trilogy starring Shintaro Katsu. Who's Got the Gold? (or, as Google Translate calls it, "Honorable Spear-Wielder: Hanzo and the Night of the Oval Demon") is directed by Yoshio Inoue, who's too obscure a director to point out some of his other achievements, and written by Yasuzo Masumura, who directed Hanzo #2.I personally consider this to be the weakest out of the three films. By now, we all know the shtick and there's plenty of rehash of ideas found in #1 and #2. I swear, you get so accustomed to Hanzo's modus operandi that, by this point, seeing him screw a woman suspended in a large hanging net becomes an ordinary everyday sight. The movie begins promising, with Hanzo learning of a female ghost (played by Mako Midori from Blind Beast) haunting a swampy area. He shares with us that he had always wanted to f*ck a ghost, and so, through rape, he finds out that she's a fake ghost who's there to scare off the potential lurkers. It appears that there are large stacks of Shogunate gold hidden in the swamp, and that it's all a part of a massive conspiracy between high officials to steal the Shogunate's gold and loan it out to the destitute. Hanzo also meets up with an old friend, shelters a doctor who wants to build a Western cannon to expose Japan's crappy technology, and uncovers a ring of blind monks who have fun with the ladies during the koto instructions.So, basically, this film goes from a Scooby Doo ghost mystery to a political conspiracy thriller ft. samurai loan sharks, blind monks who lead orgies with the officials' wives, and some good, old fashioned chambara action with a historical comment on Western pressure through military technology. All this with a protagonist who pours hot water over his d*ck and rapes women suspended in hanging nets. The viewing experience is topped off by zen visuals and a funky '70s soundtrack.The more I think about it, the more this seems like the most bizarre trilogy in existence.

Shintarô Katsu, who played the blind swordsman "Zatoichi" in a total of 27 movies, ends the Hanzo trilogy with this excellent film in which he gets to make love to a ghost, Mako Midori (Blind Beast).The big stick, used often in the pursuit of justice, is retired forever.Katsu was his usual impudent self as he pursued those who would steal from the treasury to lend at usurious amounts to those who could not afford to pay.The usual amazing swordplay and skill of the big guy was present, along with the blood.I'm going to miss him.

The final chapter in the Hanzo the Razor trilogy provides fitting closure for this entertaining series of samuraisploitation. Inoue replaces Yasuzu Masumura (Blind Beast, Red Angel, Manji) in the director's chair, but the style is pretty much the same, perhaps due to Shintaro Katsu serving as the producer, apart from the titular antihero.Hanzo uncovers a female ghost who is guarding treasure hidden in the bottom of the lake. Of course, Hanzo being Hanzo, he's not put off by the fact she's a ghost, so he proceeds to rape... ahem, interrogate her, using the now familiar revolving net device. The plot takes through a series of blind monks who also doubletime as loansharks, corrupt officials, promiscuous wives and the necessary hack and slash. Hanzo's superior officer, Onishi, and his two servants, provide the typical comedic notes, and generally, it's business as usual.Significantly less convoluted and easier to follow than the first (which is all over the place and a bit of a mess), less stylish, dramatic and bloody than the second (arguably the finest in the Hanzo series), but still entertaining and worthwhile on its own merits. Complete with trademark training sequences, the obligatory rape, swordfights, and a mystery Hanzo is called upon to investigate, this will ultimately satisfy the fans.

WHO'S GOT THE GOLD? is (unfortunately) the last of the HANZO THE RAZOR films, starring Shintaro Katsu as the title character - the multi-weapon proficient, authority-bucking samurai officer with the "unique" technique of raping confessions out of unwilling female informants until they "spill the beans" and beg for more...This entry starts with Hanzo "uncovering" a woman who poses as a ghost to guard a lake that's filled with bamboo trunks filled with gold stolen from the Treasury. This leads to Hanzo discovering a loan-sharking scheme and an orgy ring run by a blind monk. The requisite swordplay and rape/interrogation ensue - finalizing in a decent ending for this strange trilogy of films.Not quite as strong and enjoyable as THE SNARE (part 2 of the series...), but still great for fans of samurai sleaze and Japanese pinky-style films. 8/10