Strong and Moving!

Instant Favorite.

It's a movie as timely as it is provocative and amazingly, for much of its running time, it is weirdly funny.

It is a whirlwind of delight --- attractive actors, stunning couture, spectacular sets and outrageous parties. It's a feast for the eyes. But what really makes this dramedy work is the acting.

The fourth entry to the brilliant "Kozure Ôkami" ("Lone Wolf And Cub") cycle, this "Kozure Ôkami: Oya no kokoro ko no kokoro" aka "Baby Cart In Peril" is yet another ingenious masterpiece about the the 'Lone Wolf' Ogami Itto and his only son Daigoro. This is the first of the Ôkami films that was not directed by genius director Kenji Misumi, who directed the first three, and the fifth entry to this greatest samurai-cycle in motion picture history. Little-known director Buichi Saito, however, did an astonishing job with "Baby Cart In Peril", a blood-soaked, stylish and astonishing film of unique atmosphere and elegance. The Lone Wolf and Cub cycle should be seen in the right order, and yet every one of the movies has its very own particular charm and genuine brilliancy.Ôgami Itto (Tomisaburo Wakayama), former Kaishakunin (highest executioner) of the shogunate, who fell victim of a complot by the powerful Yagyu clan, is traveling through 17th century Japan with his only son Daigoro (Akihiro Tomikawa). Itto, who is working as an assassin for 500 ryu, is walking the 'path to hell' in order to avenge his wife's death and to clear his name, and Daigoro is walking this path with him. This time, Ogami Itto is hired to kill a tattooed female assassin, and the father and son once again have a variety of other enemies against them, the powerful Yagyu-clan in particular...The entire 'Kozure Ôkami' cycle is brilliant, and every single film has some particularly ingenious aspects. This fourth part has a unique, mesmerizing atmosphere and an incomparable elegance. The swordplay is once again exceptionally stylish and very bloody. Tomisaburo Wakayama is, as always, brilliant in his role of Ogami Itto and so is Akihiro Tomikawa in the role of Daigoro, without doubt one of the greatest child-characters ever in a film. The father-son relationship is one of the greatest aspects of the Ôkami-films, and gives these blood-soaked and brilliant Chambara-highlights a sometimes heart-warming note. Another superb character of this particular entry to the cycle is that of Oyuki (Michie Azuma), the tattooed (and mostly bare-breasted) swordswoman, who is as stunningly beautiful as she is lethal. As it is the case with the other Ôkami-films, film is exceptionally photographed in impressive locations and impressive. I could go on praising "Baby Cart In Peril" forever, but I'll come to an end instead: The entire "Kozure Ôkami" cycle is incomparably brilliant, and "Baby Cart In Peril" is an essential masterpiece that must not be missed! 10/10

Ogami Itto and son, Daigoro, are at it again as father-and-son ronin on a mission of vengeance against the clan that betrayed them, and out to make a little cash along the way...This one has Itto being hired to kill a heavily-tattooed female martial-arts master, and Daigoro gets lost and is "found" by an old rival of Itto's - of course leading to a duel to the death.Yet another strong entry in the "classic" BABY CART series that still has all the lush sets, excellent costumes, great acting and the strange and strangely endearing relationship between father and son assassins. Another great film in a great series. Highly Recommended 8.5/10

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.

This movie is one in a series about a disenfranchised samurai who travels accompanied by his son in a baby carriage. It is a strange story that I saw in comic book form in the adult comic "Heavy Metal".I'm embarrassed to admit that I claim to be a samurai film fan and yet have never seen anything outside Akira Kurosawa's work. This is my first and I am very impressed. Unfortunately the movie is not technically up to Kurosawa's standards, but all the rest has much to match his films. In many ways this story is more for a Japanese audience who know what they are looking at. Kurosawa occasionally panders to a somewhat tourist mentality. He is also much more restrained in portraying sword play and sex. We see full frontal nudity and graphic violence in the sword play.The acting is every bit as skilled and passionate as we see in Kurosawa's movies. The sets also are very well done and we have an excellent sense of place.