Kozure Ôkami: Oya no kokoro ko no kokoro

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

This is a beautifully made movie, the cinematography is to die for. In this installment of LW&C, Lone Wolf is hired to kill a rogue defector of a powerful clan, a formidable martial artist who happens to be a woman on a killing spree. Her body has been heavily tattooed to distract & shock her enemies. Itto's son Daigoro gets lost (this kid gets into more trouble) and is confronted by the only man ever to defeat Itto in a sword fight, Yagyu Gunbei, played by Yoichi Hayashi. He's a stone-cold & ruthless Ronin with a serious grudge against Itto. Needless to say there's a showdown between the two, and this is the highlight of the movie. In this scene it is twilight, and the cinematography is simply breathtaking. This movie is exceptionally clean, and is a real pleasure to watch. This movie and "Hades" are the top two LW&C films IMHO. Rent it or buy it, you will not be disappointed.

I don't know the history behind it but it seems quite odd that for this movie they picked a new director, Buichi Saito, while the first till third movie got all directed by Kenji Misumi, as did the following fifth movie. Perhaps it had something to do with his health, since Kenji Misumi died quite young, in 1975.

But whatever the reasons were, it's a choice that worked out great for this particular movie. Its definitely a change of style. It's a more snappy a fast going movie than any of its predecessors. It's edited greatly and also has some nice little tricks in it. The movie is more Hollywood like and less Japanese like, if you will. This is not always a good thing but for this particular movie, its concept and story, it does work out well.

Its fight sequences are often spectacular, though they are also certainly less bloody than was still the case in the previous movies. Its faster editing and camera-work and fresh style of directing keeps it all great to watch. It also all helps to make the movie incredibly entertaining to watch.

I also liked how this movie handled the lone wolf and cub relationship. The whole father son relationship plays quite an essential role within this movie, more so than ever had been the case in the previous movies. It makes the movie quite 'cute' and also emotionally stronger. It also seems like Tomisaburo Wakayama's acting is stronger than ever before. In all of the previous movies he was mostly exchanging hard long looks with his foes but in this movie he seems to have more lines and also shows more emotions and expressions in his face.

Another thing that keeps playing an essential role within this movie are its wonderful looking environments. The natural environments are great and this movie takes us to some wonderful places, to all add to the movie its adventurous feeling.

Such perfect fun to watch!

9/10

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The fourth in the long-running LONE WOLF & CUB series that so far shows no sign of flagging. BABY CART IN PERIL has everything that made the previous films so memorable: iconic characters, humour, sharply drawn personalities, a straightforward plot and battle sequences delivered with gusto. As with the last two films, this one features a memorable female warrior, in this case a woman covered in tattoos, who provides a more in-depth adversary for Ogami instead of his more cartoonish foes. The plot, as usual, details strands of honour and duty, while at the same time reintroducing Ogami's chief enemy, Lord Retsudo, who was noticeable absent in the last instalment.

There is a slight difference in the film-making which may be down to this film having a different director to the last. The style is perhaps more evident, and Ogami displays touches of emotion and weakness that seem slightly out of place. Nevertheless, the film is superbly shot and ably holds its down in what is turning out to be a superlative series. The vivid battle sequences are exceptional, with Ogami de-limbing inhuman foes in one stand-out sequence, as well as facing his most mortal threat – a gun-toting army – in the wildly exciting and vividly violent climax. Perhaps not the best in the series, this is still a cut above the rest.

This movie is the four in the series and continues the exploits of Ogami Itto and son as they continue there quest for vengeance against Lord Retsudo. Hired to kill Oyuki (deadly female martial artist) for his standard 500 gold pieces, this movie follows the by now normal storyline of flying ninjas, one on one sword duels and mass army destruction that would put a John Woo movie to shame, throw in the vast amount of blood and this movie is a classic within the series. These things in themselves do add to the overall plot and character development within the movie and that the cinematography helps to places with in the action right from the start (although some slight lighting problems do occur). The similarities between this movie and certain spaghetti westerns (Fist Full Of Dollars) is unmistakable. Overall a must see for both fans of martial arts and western movies.