1969 • Japan • Directed by Takashi Harada

Most famous for his role as the stoic Ogami Itto in the legendary Lone Wolf and Cub series, Tomisaburo Wakayama shows a different side in the ebullient martial arts comedy series Wicked Priest, where a devout man of the cloth doesn’t let a little thing like his vows keep him away from women, booze and brawls! In the third film, Wicked Priest 3: A Killer’s Pilgrimage, Shinkai arrives in a pleasant coastal village whose peaceful inhabitants are being besieged by dynamite-wielding pirate revolutionaries. Shinkai decides to join the fight and help the villagers stand up to their oppressors. Along the way he’ll also find the time to get embroiled in bawdy misadventures and fight off the assaults of Ryotatsu, the blind monk still seeking revenge against him. Wakayama shines as the rascally Shinkai whose roguish ways attract the ire of his superiors before they’re won over by his righteousness and affinity for roundhouse-kicking ruffians. A thrilling blend of raunchy humour and explosive karate fights, the Wicked Priest series is the Nirvana of Japanese 60s action comedy!