A step down from the first two films in the series, with a story that felt more disjoint, had flashbacks that didn't really add anything, and which lagged several times. Rape is used yet again as a plot device, and when a guy tidies up the crime by murdering the mother and daughter afterwards, he's congratulated for behavior which "befits a samurai," which was uncomfortable, even considering the moral conflict that runs through the series. There are a few nice outdoor shots, but there's a long 40 minute stretch in the middle that's all indoors, and overall it's not nearly as scenic as the previous film. The penultimate battle with what amounts to an army has a few interesting surprises, but the final clash is weirdly drawn out and anti-climactic. I'm not sure if cranking these out so quickly had something to do with it (this was #3 of 4 released in 1972), but the quality level of this one is lower.
