Lone Wolf & Cub 5 - Der weiße Pfad der Hölle

I was interested in seeing how director Kenji Misumi would pick up the series again. He directed the first three movies but the previous one, "Kozure Ôkami: Oya no kokoro ko no kokoro", got directed by Buichi Saito. would Kenji Misumi continue on the same trend he had started the series in, or would he go with the successful more western style of approach Buichi Saito brought to the series.

The answer would be the first. Kenji Misumi pretty much continues what he had started. This is not a bad thing of course, since all of the first three movies were great and entertaining ones but it just makes it a little bit less accessible as a movie for the western audience. This style was however also more appreciated in Japan itself, so the switch back is quite understandable.

The movie starts off kind of slow and uninteresting and I wasn't too fond about its storytelling but it soon finds its old form. It actually turns into one of the more stronger movies out of the series, also story-wise. The movie does feature some great memorable moments in it, perhaps even more so than was the case with any of the previous movies. It's a very entertaining movie and its fight sequences are a pleasure to watch. It's being highly original and creative with some of its moments.

It's awesome to see how Ogami Itto is taking on whole armies again. You would think that by now his reputation would had exceeded him and people would know better to cross swords with him. The Japanese are however too noble and proud to just runaway at his sight or perform harakiri right away. Luckilly for use though, since it means that the movie gets action packed and features plenty of fountains of blood again, especially toward the ending when the movie becomes really more and more action filled and spectacular.

Such an awesome and entertaining movie.

9/10

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Even though all the festival-scenes are a sub-plot that adds little to nothing to the story, I find this an excellent film. The idea and the enactment of the five Samurai, each giving Ogami a part of his mission as their dying words, exemplifies the value of loyalty and truth above all. In all the Lone Wolf films honor is considered the highest value, and there is a continuous presence of morality throughout the series. In this film I was touched by the incredible loyalty of all the Samurais of the Kuroda clan. Even when on fire, fatally wounded or bleeding from every orifice, they still continue to serve their clan. In fact they care so much for their clan that they hire Ogami to kill their own, perverted masters, because their actions bring dishonor and great danger to the clan.

Story-wise certainly the most elaborate of the Lone Wolf films, I found this one to be the best.

This is part 5 of the legendary BABY CART series, which deals with ronin assassin Ogami Itto and his son Daigoro. They are on a mission to destroy the Yagyu clan for their betrayal, and to avenge the death of Itto's wife.

More beautiful battles and swordplay - this one primarily centering around 5 warriors that Itto must battle in throughout the film to earn his bounty and the clues that he needs to take on his next "hit" - to kill a crazy clan leader before the clan falls apart.

Full of beautiful cinematography, great action and swordplay, excellent acting, and the strange yet touching relation ship between Itto and Daigoro - the BABY CART series is not to be missed for those that enjoy martial arts films. I highly recommend the whole series. 8.5/10

There might come a time, where some might get fed up or at least might not be as excited about something that is going on for seemingly forever. Then again, who can say no to nudity and blood mayhem all over the place? Well maybe quite a few can, but bare with me on this. Or with the movie for that matter, because that is more important of course.

Apart from the main actor, the cub might be the same one too. Since they made them back to back, it is possible. And while especially part 2 and 3 had some innovations gadget and gimmick wise, those are being now repeated or re-used I reckon. That's not overall a bad thing, but just so you know. Not sure where the anime went, but it is obvious that this had something to rely back on. Those who loved the previous entries (though you can watch them however you like almost - except from the evolution of the "weapons"), will like this too - or even love it. Dependng on your taste of course.

The indefatigable Itto Ogami continues his journey through feudal Japan with his son in tow. BABY CART IN THE LAND OF DEMONS is the fifth in the six-film series and for the first time, the film shows signs of flagging. It's not that I didn't enjoy this movie, because I did; rather, I started to find the plot shenanigans to be ever-so-slightly familiar, if not a little tired. Much of what goes on in the film has been seen before, and although the action sequences are as vivid as ever, there's little here that hasn't been done previously (and better).

As per usual, Ogami finds himself caught up in plotting between various factions and must form political allegiances to see him through. The opening of the film sees him tackling a series of martial arts masters, all of whom test him unawares to make sure he's worthy of the job. The plot then takes a lengthy and slightly pointless detour to a market village where Daigoro is accused of helping a pickpocket conduct her business. Although this sequence has been incorporated to allow greater characterisation of Ogami's son, I found it dragged the pacing down to crawling speed.

Thankfully, things pick up for a relatively exciting climax which sees Ogami finishing off his job. There's still a great deal of entertainment value from watching the various characters occupying different positions in Japanese society at this time and how they react to our hero. The cast give understated performances and the action is typically well shot, but I'm actually looking forward to the end of this series now: better to end on a high than dragging it into the ground.