Lone Wolf and Cub: Baby Cart to Hades

You know when in sequels (this being the third movie in the series), certain things get an upgrade without any explanation? Well this happens with the baby cart here. And the baby is quite tech savvy ... or let's say participates more in the fights. Sort of, which is a nice touch. And I actually had to laugh out loud during the last battle, well at the start of it, when ... well you'll see and understand when you see what they do ... amazing.

And quite ridiculous, but that is what the movies are about. Blood gushes, squirts in very big fashion. Nudity and other things included. And our macho hero in the center of all of it. Do not take the movies for real and try to remember they are fiction, not telling you how to do things or be educational in any way, shape or form! It is imperative to never forget that, because otherwise you'd be close to cancel those movies. Sleaze and down and dirty nature is what they relish on. You may despise that (I am actually surprised that the rating is so high, but it probably only means, that only those who are not easily offended watched them), which is ok, but don't deny them others, who can differentiate ...

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.

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.

This is an AnimEigo re-release of "Lone Wolf and Cub: Baby Cart to Hades" which is the third movie in the Lone Wolf and Cub or "Baby Cart" series. As far as I could tell, these were the changes from the original movie.

1) The English sub-titles were removed and instead the Japanese was dubbed over with English.

2) The left and right edges were trimmed off to fit the image on a standard TV set. This is most obvious at the beginning where the title and related material gets cut off enough that you had to guess at what some words would be.

3) The color is excellent and it's apparent AnimEigo worked hard to clean up the original media.

The DVD runs for 89 minutes. Unlike "Shogun Assassin" #1 which combined elements from three of the Lone Wolf and Cub movies Shogun Assassin 2 is just one movie from the original series. As far as I can tell, nothing was cut.

Ogami Itto is Lone Wolf. His infant son Daigoro is Cub. They are on Demon Way to Hell. Along the way, they encounter a ronin named Kanbei who is desperate for a duel with Itto. They rescue an enslaved girl. His heroism impressed yakuza madam Torizo and she hires him for an assassination.

This is the third movie in the series. Whether it's the guns or the warrior with a name, this one has a much more spaghetti western feel. I love Kanbei and his struggle for moral clarity. I also love Torizo's introduction and her character. I love Daigoro's tricking the gunslinger. I like this one the most so far in the series.