Kozure Ôkami: Oya no kokoro ko no kokoro

These movies were infamous for their incredibly brutal and bloody swordplay sequences, but equally impressive IMHO was the leading actor- Tomisaburo Wakayama a.k.a. "Lone Wolf" was surely the greatest martial arts star ever. The command and authority with which he wielded a sword (and other weapons) was just phenomenal. The blade truly was an extension of himself, and his use of it was the definition of lethal, with none of the unnecessary/show-off flourishes so desperately thrown about by today's wannabes. He had incredible presence and charisma- easily on a par with the likes of say Eastwood or Bronson- with eyes that reflected pure death, and the desolation in his soul. There were moments in the "Babycart" series where you'd swear he was the personification of his namesake, the Wolf. You never doubted for one second that he WAS shogun executioner, masterless samurai, assassin for hire. One look at him in action, and you could readily understand why his enemies trembled at the mention of his name, and ran from him in sheer terror. Alas, Lone Wolf is one with void now, but his legend will live on forever in these films.

Forget Toshiro Mifune. Forget Takakura Ken. Forget Sonny Chiba. Forget Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan, Jet Li, Donnie Yen, and any of those wire-reliant ballet dancers from Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon. And CERTAINLY forget any American martial artists that you could care to name. Tomisaburo Wakayama was, is, and forever shall be, THE MAN!

Another Lone Wolf and Cub film, another movie that does not take any prisoners. The story of our main character continues, but we start with a different character alltogether. And this woman is quite the killer ... literally. And she also is naked ... well from the waist up! But just to show her ... tattoos of course.

Kidding aside, if you are easily offended this and the amount of blood will quite do the job for you. Better not watch is what I'd say. Of course after that furious beginning there is some story and character things we have to go through. You can't have mayhem after mayhem ... well you could, but it works better that way. Some flashbacks too and all that coincides with that. Enjoyable if you can dig it

Installment #4 in the series comes in at a taut 81 minutes, and while a little undeveloped, it's satisfying nonetheless. Like the other films, unfortunately rape is yet again an element of the plot, and it's cringeworthy how "out of shame" the young woman (Michie Azuma) runs away afterwards and becomes an assassin. She's shown topless at every possible opportunity, with the giant tattoos providing an excuse to do so. It would have been nice had the film expanded her character a little more and made her the final battle, because you see, the lone wolf (Tomisaburo Wakayama) has been tasked with hunting her down. The film has its moments, including all sorts of dismemberment, a man with an improbable ability to mold his face into the shape of another's asked to commit hara-kiri for someone else, and a battle scene with guys who were camouflaged as statues (probably the film's best). The baby is now three years old and capable of wielding the cart's hidden machine guns, which comes in handy, as you'd hate to bring just a sword to a gun fight. The lone wolf has some sense of honor but is still just a mercenary, and moreover, one who isn't invulnerable, which makes him an interesting character, and Wakayama plays the part reasonably well. It's good, campy fun, and a film you wouldn't have had to see the first three to enjoy.

After spending a few movies on the lam, picking up odd jobs and dispatching would-be assassins, wandering ronin Ogami Ittō gets back to the business of stalking his real enemy: Retsudo Yagyū, who dishonored Ogami's name and orchestrated his wife's murder. The two finally cross swords this time (with consequences for both), but not before Ittō deals with a disgraced, grudge-bearing former rival, a femme fatale with curious tattoos, a corrupt local official (complete with his own private army) and a host of explosive-lobbing foot soldiers. And, for once, the harsh lifestyle has taken a toll on our swordsman: the lone wolf that stumbles away from the battlefield at the end of this film is a far cry from the one who stoically, almost carelessly, dealt with blade-flinging challengers at its onset. Stuffed with fascinating, well-rounded new characters, unique fight scenes, badass acts of heroism and gallons of bright red spray, it's incredible that the final running time comes in just short of ninety minutes. Feels like there's enough depth, and enough story, to have stretched for twice as long.

Number four in the series and a new director but the product is still well up to scratch. Not sure I would necessarily have noticed the change at the helm so seamlessly does this continue the theme but there is a little more stress upon the vulnerability both of the main protagonist and his cub. Fire also features here, with a blazing sword, whatever that might mean and an amazingly shot blazing field that surrounds the young cub. Elephant in the room here though is the tattooed lady. Absolutely magnificent designs front and back of the bare lady assassin and these are to have their desired affect in the combat to come, even if her bare breasts wouldn't be distracting enough. So, much as before with a little extra and wonderfully photographed throughout. The ending is not unlike that of the previous outing but even here just a little bit extra for our continued astonishment and pleasure.