Baby Cart: Le territoire des démons

Master film-maker Kenji Misumi returns in the Lone Wolf and Cub series to helm the fifth entry, Baby Cart in the Land of the Demons, and if you thought even just for a fleeting second that this would be anything but orgasmically violent and existentially mystifying, you just don't have enough confidence on the man.

Picking up the story of the Shogun's former executioner Ogami Itto and his son Daigoro, this is another tale of betrayal, political intrigue and murder. The Kuroda Clan is in deep trouble, trouble that Ogami Itto's fierce opponents, the Yagyu, want to exploit for their own benefit. Ogami Itto is paid his usual fee (500 gold pieces of course) and bloodshed ensues.

Now as a chambara and LWAC fundamendalist, I will confess upfront that the combination of stylized comic-book violence and the existential, quasi-mythic look at both historical Japan and the genre conventions that form chambara, are a sure win in my book. It might not be as groundbreaking as the first two entries in the series, it is after all following a now well-tested tradition, but it is done with such conviction and deliberation that one has to pay notice.

As with other serialized characters of the chambara universe like Zatoichi or Nemuri Kiyoshiro, it is exactly that it simultaneously meets our expectations as a pure Lone Wolf movie that doesn't disappoint the way Hollywood sequels do and that it breaks the traditional forms of the period drama that make even a fifth entry of this tried and tested recipe so good.

The plot is of secondary value to the actual journey of Itto and his son. They have been through the crossroads at Hades and now into the land of the demons and there is no turning back. What pushes them through piles of dead bodies is revenge, and I say "them" because Daigoro has made his commitment to follow the same path of blood as his father, their fates inextricably linked through life and death; yet as with other Lone Wolf movies revenge is but a vague part of the storyline. A skeleton that gives these movies form and reason to be but they take life beyond that.

In Lone Wolf and Cub's case their journey is an existential fable bathed in blood, like they are doomed to cut their way through the land for all time and it is through the act of killing that their existence takes meaning. It takes one look at Ogami Itto's grim stare to realize that if there is a god and he would dare to appear in front of him, Itto would swiftly cut him down and move on his path. Takashi Miike understood all this crystal clear when he made Izo.

Speaking of blood, yes, there will be lots of it. It's a staple of the Lone Wolf movies and I wouldn't have it any other way. Arterial sprays, chopped heads and bodies sliced in half. And then there is Tomisaburo Wakayama, the man, the myth, crafting the most mesmerizing character role of his career.

Strongly recommended as are all the other Lone Wolf movies. Watch them in order though.

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 is the fifth of six films of the Lone Wolf & Cub Series. A clan offers to hire Lone Wolf Ogami Itto for an assassination but they want to test his skills. They set five individual warriors upon him, each to test a certain skill. After each is defeated, the warrior is to give part of the story and a fifth of the payment. Upon defeating the fifth warrior, he is finally given his full mission.

Of the five, the poisoning is the most dramatic and the most interesting. The story is relatively simple except the side trip with the Cub. It's interesting that the Cub has his own little adventure. As always, Lone Wolf and Cub do a mass slaughter in the end. My only concern is that he has kill a little girl. It doesn't matter how bratty the girl gets. He still kills a little girl but I still like the massacre. I also really like Cub having his own adventure.

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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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.