Shôrinji kenpô

"The Killing Machine" undoubtedly did not make the short list for foreign films up for Oscars in 1975, but for Chiba fans, this is pure gold.

It's 1945, and Chiba is a spy in the Japanese Imperial Army, one of the many "disillusioned" young men after Japan's unconditional surrender. The story takes him from the poor streets of post-war Japan, taking care of homeless kids, to founding a karate school which provides a bulwark of purity against corrupt drug traffickers.

The campy hokeyness is best exemplified in the first scene, when Chiba is spying on Chinese commanders in a nondescript house at the front. He is discovered, fights his way out, and in the split second change in scene, stumbles into a Japanese office, like it was located in the very next room (hey, do you think the two sets were side by side????).

But this film contains some great fight scenes. Back kicks, devastating punches, spurting limbs, and genitalia severed with scissors and fed to the local stray dogs abounds. In my fav scene which really exemplifies Chiba's style, he lays waste to an opponent by bending his arm back and breaking it, and it flops backwards at a grotesque angle. Then, as though this wasn't enough, he takes the time to turn the guy over and break his other arm! Classic!!! who can argue with this type of genius!!

Definitely, definitely see this, if possible with some beers and a bunch of friends with the same taste in campy 1970's martial arts films.

In one scene he helps orphans, the next he rips off someones penis and feeds it to a dog. He cries the loss of his love, the prostitute he helped get off the street...then his friend gets his arm cut off with a sword and blood spurts from the stump. All of this with Japanese Nationalist beliefs and hatred against Chinese & Americans. This does star Sonny Chiba and it isn't bad, though the drama seems a little cheesy with the orphans and everybody's fake tears. Not one of his top three films for sure.

Sonny Chiba as Doshin So,Originator of Shorinji Kempo. This was Chiba's first of two portrayals of a real life martial arts masters ( His portrayal of his Sensei Mas Oyama in "The Champion of Death" being his second). Incredible fight scene choreography featuring authentic shorinji kenpo techniques, though of course it wouldn't be a Sonny Chiba film without his removal of body parts of several opponents. The plot involves life in postwar Japan in which Doshin So comes to the aid of numerous war orphans as well as a young girl who is forced to become a prostitute to survive. The film also features Sue "Sister Streetfighter" Shiomi, a mainstay in many Chiba Films as well as a talented martial artist herself. Sonny Chiba shows much love and respect for the history of his chosen arts as well as his former Senseis (he has a black belt in shorinji kempo as well as Mas Oyamas kyokushikai karate). I rank this film as #3 in Chiba's top 5 films, a must see for Chiba fans and martial arts enthusiasts alike.

In the movie master So, has many trials to over come he has to rebuild and try to start a school, the action corresponds with the story real well. He has to learn how to love to truly know what Shaolin kung-fu is all about.

it was a good story

One of the nice things is that this movie opens with some introduction to the history of martial arts in China. The movie is put together well and is far from the typical kung fu movie, much closer to the standard samurai flick. There are a wide number of fight scenes in many different locations. This has a bit more of a political message buried in it then most, but lots of things in it that don't make a lot of sense. But the bottom line is that there is an underlying theme of the Samurai to it.

Interesting thing to note is that the American Flag that is prominently shown in one place as being of the American conquerors shows 50 stars instead of the 48 that would have flown there after WWII. Not too much of the ugly foreigners in it, but strong Japanese nationalism.

I'll watch this again, particularly for the action scenes.