Lone Wolf and Cub: Baby Cart to Hades (1972)

Ogami Itto volunteers to be tortured by the yakuza to save a prostitute and is hired by their leader to kill an evil chamberlain.

Director:

Kenji Misumi

Writers:

Kazuo Koike (story), Goseki Kojima (story)

Stars:

Tomisaburô Wakayama, Gô Katô, Yûko Hama

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Tomisaburô Wakayama	...	Ogami Itto
Gô Katô	...	Magomura Kanbei
Yûko Hama	...	Koshio Torizo / Miura Tori
Isao Yamagata	...	Sawatari Genba
Michitarô Mizushima	...	Itakura Naizen-no-Sho
Ichirô Nakatani	...	Yagyu Samurai
Akihiro Tomikawa	...	Ogami Daigoro
Sayoko Katô	...	Omatsu
Jun Hamamura	...	Miura Tatewaki
Daigo Kusano	...	Kuchiki Rokubei
Shun'ya Wazaki	...	Ikiji Samon
Hiroshi Nawa	...	Monkumatsu
Sakai Umezu
Saburô Date	...	Swift-style swordsman
Hatsuo Yamaya

Storyline

Ogami Itto volunteers to be tortured by the yakuza to save a prostitute and is hired by their leader to kill an evil chamberlain.

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Plot Keywords:

ninja | opening action scene | hand to hand combat | gunfight | shootout | 

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Taglines:

Raise a kung-fu fist against Ogami... and he'll chop it off!

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Genres:

Action | Drama

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Certificate:

R

Did You Know?

Trivia

This is a chanbara (sword fighting) film.

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Goofs

There is no explanation as to why having the end of a tongue bitten off would be a fatal injury that would immediately be perceived as murder.

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Quotes

Ogami Itto: The true way of the warrior means to live by death.

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Alternate Versions

The original theatrical USA release of the 1970s had the "origin" flashback from Lone Wolf and Cub: Sword of Vengeance ("Lone Wolf and Cub: Sword of Vengeance") edited in, was dubbed into English, and retitled "Lightning Swords of Death." In the 1990s and without the flashback, that was released panned-&-scanned on VHS as "Lupine Wolf."

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Connections

Followed by Lone Wolf and Cub: Baby Cart in the Land of Demons (1973)

User Reviews

Probing the Character of a Masterless Samurai

A wandering ronin and his young son continue their journey through feudal Japan, taking contracts when afforded the opportunity and facing assassination with each step. This chapter seems dedicated to clarifying our disgraced samurai's complicated code of honor. Though he'll gladly slice through an almost unlimited number of strangers in battle, Ittō's vision isn't clouded by a perennial bloodlust. We see restraint in several dangerous situations, respect for principled opponents, loyalty to his word and, in the film's most memorable scene, a willingness to take vicious punishment in lieu of the innocently accused. The story feels more episodic than ever, with various scenes playing out like a classic movie serial and an unresolved conflict lingering at the credits. Given the rate at which they were churning these things out in the early '70s, maybe there's something to that. The action is reliably good, still fresh and creative after three feature-lengths, though the gigantic slaughter instigated at the climax (ambushed, Ittō single-handedly takes out fifty men and a trio of mounted officers) does stretch things a bit. Wise, then, that the film went back to basics almost immediately after, closing the action with an eerily quiet, respectful duel amidst the dust of that epic battlefield.

Details

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Release Date:

April 1974 (USA)

Also Known As:

Shogun Assassin 2: Lightning Swords of Death

Company Credits

Production Co:

Katsu Production, Toho Company

Technical Specs

Runtime:

89 min 83 min (edited)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1