Wicked Priest 2: Ballad of Murder
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67% Critic Match

Wicked Priest 2: Ballad of Murder

6.7 / 10 1968 1h 30mNR Japanese
ActionDrama

Storyline

The long awaited second film in the Wicked Priest series is a masterpiece of sword swinging fury as Shinkai is asked by a man on the run to bring his young son to live with his grandfather, the master of a ju-jitsu dojo during the Taisho period of the early 20th century. Shinkai then runs afoul of a gangster group using strong-arm tactics to take over the profits from local gambling. When he proves to be more than they can handle, they hire the one man who has the ability to kill Shinkai and exact revenge, Ryotatsu, the karate priest whom Shinkai blinded in the first film. This ultra-violent entry has long been considered the best movie in the series and never made its way to home video before. See a spectacular display of Wakayama Tomisaburo’s martial art expertise in this action packed film. The Holy Grail of sword movies has arrived at last! /Winterheart of CG

Cast & Crew

Tomisaburō Wakayama

Tomisaburō Wakayama

Shinkai

Lead
Bunta Sugawara

Bunta Sugawara

Ryutatsu

Asao Koike

Asao Koike

Eitarō Ozawa

Eitarō Ozawa

Masumi Tachibana

Masumi Tachibana

Tōru Abe

Tōru Abe

ET

Eiko Takehara

Bin Amatsu

Bin Amatsu

What People Are Saying

4.0
A staggering achievement of craft and ambition. Takashi Harada's vision lands with breathtaking precision.
Manohla Dargis, The New York Times
3.0
Every frame feels alive. Wicked Priest 2: Ballad of Murder is the rare release that takes its audience seriously.
Anthony Lane, The New Yorker