Woodyanders Ogami (well played by the husky Tomisaburo Wakayama) gets hired to rub out tattooed female assassin Oyuki (a strong portrayal by striking slender brunette Michi Azuma). Meanwhile, bitter rival killer Yagyyu Gunbei (an excellent performance by Yoichi Hayashi) stumbles across Ogami's son Daigoro (adorable Akihiro Tomikawa) and seizes upon his chance to exact revenge on Ogami. Director Buichi Saito brings a pleasingly pulpy B-grade trash aesthetic to the series: The lively and eventful story unfolds at a breathless brisk pace, the trademark over-the-top excessive violence is present and accounted for (blood squirts and spurts all over the place), and the beautiful Mrs. Azuma supplies a satisfying smattering of tasty female nudity. Moreover, the exciting sword fights are staged with considerable flair and skill, with Ogami butchering a slew of guys at the end and even taking a brutal beating in the process. Kazou Koike's compact and thoughtful script not only delivers on the thrilling visceral basics, but also shows how thankless Ogami's plight as a hired killer can be and has some provocative stuff to say about the fundamental Japanese principle of honor. Hideaki Sakurai's funky-grinding score hits the get-down groovy spot. Kazou Miyagawa's sumptuous cinematography provides a wealth of stunning visuals. Good grindhouse fun.

Leofwine_draca 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.

jessie_limey I am a huge fan of samurai movies and for fans of the genre, this will not disappoint. For newcomers too, this film has much to offer, by the way of a great storyline and fantastic swordplay. The story is particularly sensitive and heartfelt compared to other Lone Wolf And Cub films, and is a wonderful example of Japanese mentality that there is no black-and-white. I loved the character of Oyuki, she has great depth and feeling to her and I felt myself rooting for both her and Lone Wolf, despite the fact that he is hired to kill her. Top class Samurai film. 5/5.

pksky1 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.