Kozure Ôkami: Shinikaze ni mukau ubaguruma

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.

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.

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!

This one and "Peril" are by far my favorites. In the opening scenes we see Ogami wipe out three ninja and it must be seen to be believed. I particularly liked the character development in this film. Itto meets Magomura Kanbei, a disgraced ronin much like himself. It appears Kanbei has a death wish and the reason is uncertain until the end of the movie. He is a very interesting character. Ogami is tortured by yakuza to save a prostitute who killed a pimp in self defense and this is how he is led to his next commission. Great story, and action that is second to none. His quick draw in one scene is so fast I swore the film was sped up. Well, it wasn't. The man is that good. Another plus, there's Hamada Yuko. She is one good-looking woman. This is a very enjoyable movie that can be viewed many times and it never gets old.