After being framed for treason and losing his wife to an after-hours assault, a former state executioner seeks revenge as a ronin, walking the dusty trails of rural Japan with his three-year-old son in tow. The hallmarks of a generic '70s samurai/kung fu movie are all over this one, from the exploitative camerawork to the bad makeup and sprays of hyper-saturated blood, but despite the obvious tropes it delivers some deep, ruminative storytelling and efficiently lays the groundwork for the five sequels which are soon to follow.

Often, we're shocked by an act that seems vile and emotionless, only for a subsequent explanation to flip the script and offer unexpected rationalization. The audience constantly sees Ittō (the protagonist) in different lights, filling the character out from all angles while the man himself (stoically played by a convincing Tomisaburo Wakayama) maintains a stiff, honorable composure.

Despite the eccentricities mentioned above, I was impressed by the fight scenes, which are shockingly - yet appropriately - swift and decisive. With his blade drawn bare, Ittō doesn't fool around: he kills with immediacy and precision, though he's often fighting such steep odds that the battles aren't over too quickly.

A real jewel for fans of the genre, which storms through a few clunky patches and sets itself up to soar in later installments.