5.8/10
Senior Film Conservator

A definitive 5.8/10 rating for a film that redefined the boundaries of cult cinema. Hatanosuke Takes Down the Inazuma Gang remains a cornerstone of transgressive art.
Honestly, only if you have ten minutes to kill and a soft spot for old-school scuffles. If you need complex dialogue or, you know, a plot that breathes, keep walking. People who love stuff like Flashing Steeds will probably find a comfortable groove here.
It’s short. Like, really short. It gets in, swings a few swords, and gets out before you can even finish a cup of coffee.
Hatanosuke isn't a man of many words. He just shows up, looks annoyed, and the Inazuma gang decides to stand in a line and get hit. It’s all very choreographed in that way that feels like a dance recital gone wrong.
There is this one moment where a henchman trips over his own feet, and I’m pretty sure the camera lingers on it for a second too long. It feels like a blooper that made the final cut, but it’s actually kind of endearing.
The pacing is frantic, which is fine, but it skips the part where we actually learn why we should care about the Inazuma gang. They’re just mean guys in slightly different hats. It reminded me a bit of the frantic energy in The Chimp, just with more clashing metal and fewer primates.
You can tell the budget was basically zero. The way the shadows fall, you can see the light source is just a single bulb swinging in the wind. It gives the whole thing a weird, claustrophobic vibe that works better than it probably should.
Don't look for meaning here. It’s a guy fighting people. It’s a mood. It’s a snack. ⚔️