is a 1973 Japanese martial arts film starring

Sonny Chiba , known internationally as Sonny Chiba, was a Japanese actor and martial artist. Chiba was one of the first actors to achieve stardom through his skills in martial arts, initially in Japan and later before an international audience. Born in Fuku ...

. It is based on an action manga by

Ikki Kajiwara , known by the pen names and , was a Japanese author, manga writer, and film producer. He is known for the work about sports and martial arts, with images of heroic young men with the occasional fine details as he moves from one topic to anoth ...

. A recut version was released in the United States in 1976 as ''The Bodyguard'', with added footage in the first ten minutes of the film. ''Bodyguard Kiba'' was followed by the sequel '' Bodigaado Kiba: Hissatsu sankaku tobi'', released later that same year. There were then three more film adaptations with Takeshi Yamato in the role of Kiba released in

1993 File:1993 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Oslo I Accord is signed in an attempt to resolve the Israeli–Palestinian conflict; The Russian White House is shelled during the 1993 Russian constitutional crisis; Czechoslovakia is peacefu ...

1994 File:1994 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1994 Winter Olympics are held in Lillehammer, Norway; The Kaiser Permanente building after the 1994 Northridge earthquake; A model of the MS Estonia, which sank in the Baltic Sea; Nelson ...

, and

1995 File:1995 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: O.J. Simpson is acquitted of the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman from the year prior in "The Trial of the Century" in the United States; The Great Hanshin earthquake str ...

Takashi Miike is a Japanese film director, film producer and screenwriter. He has directed over one hundred theatrical, video, and television productions since his debut in 1991. His films run through a variety of different genres, and range from violent a ...

at the beginning of his career.

Plot summary

" Karate master and anti-drug vigilante Chiba returns to his home in Japan, where he holds a press conference announcing his intention to wipe out the nation's drug industry. He also offers his services as a bodyguard to anyone who is willing to come forward and provide information about the drug lords' activities. He is soon approached by a mysterious woman claiming to have important information and asking for Chiba's protection. She seems to be legitimate, but is she really what she appears to be?"

Home media

On November 20, 2007, BCI Eclipse released the film in their ''Sonny Chiba Collection'' DVD set, which also includes '' Golgo 13: Assignment Kowloon'', ''

The Bullet Train (also known as ''Super Express 109'') is a 1975 Japanese action thriller film directed by Junya Satō and starring Ken Takakura, Sonny Chiba, and Ken Utsui. When a Shinkansen ("bullet train") is threatened with a bomb that will explode automa ...

'', '' Dragon Princess'', '' Karate Warriors'', and ''

Sister Street Fighter is a spin-off of '' The Street Fighter'' (1974). The plot revolves around Lǐ Hóng-Lóng (李紅竜 ''Li Kōryū''), the female martial artist of the title. When her brother Lǐ Wàn-Qīng is kidnapped by drug lords, she seeks revenge. The drug ...

''.

Sequel

Director Ryuichi Takamori released a sequel, '' Bodigaado Kiba: Hissatsu sankaku tobi'', later that same year on October 13, 1973. The sequel also starred Sonny Chiba as Kiba Naoto.

In popular culture

The American version of the film opens with a quotation: An altered version of the same passage (substituting "Chiba the bodyguard" with "the Lord"), complete with erroneous attribution to Ezekiel by the character of Jules Winnfield (

Samuel L. Jackson Samuel Leroy Jackson (born December 21, 1948) is an American actor and producer. One of the most widely recognized actors of his generation, the films in which he has appeared have collectively grossed over $27 billion worldwide, making him ...

), appears in

Quentin Tarantino Quentin Jerome Tarantino (; born March 27, 1963) is an American film director, writer, producer, and actor. His films are characterized by stylized violence, extended dialogue, profanity, dark humor, non-linear storylines, cameos, ensembl ...

's 1994 film ''

Pulp Fiction ''Pulp Fiction'' is a 1994 American crime film written and directed by Quentin Tarantino, who conceived it with Roger Avary.See, e.g., King (2002), pp. 185–7; ; Starring John Travolta, Samuel L. Jackson, Bruce Willis, Tim Roth, Vin ...

''.

References

External links

* * 1973 films Japanese martial arts films Karate films 1973 martial arts films Films about bodyguards Mafia films Films about the illegal drug trade Films about organized crime in Japan 1970s Japanese films {{Martialart-film-stub