Kung Fu Hustle

Dir: Stephen Chow

2005

*****

Stephen Chow’s 2001 Kung Fu sporting comedy Shaolin Soccer was a global success. Star Overseas were pleased with its international appeal and threw a great deal of money at Chow to create a film in the same vein, with the hopes they could replicate the same popularity. Chow already had an idea (co-written with Huo Xin, Chan Man-keung and Tsang Kan-cheung) and recruited many retired actors famous for 1970s Hong Kong action cinema. The result was something that got many new viewers interested into the genre, as well as something hard core Kung Fu fans adored. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, House of Flying Daggers and Hero had all made martial arts films popular again but it was Shaolin Soccer and Kung Fu Hustle that made them fun. Set in Shanghai during the 1930s, we find Sing (played by Chow) and his friend Bone attempting to join the Deadly Axe Gang, which ruthlessly controls the city under the leadership of Brother Sum. Sing seeks to restore his confidence after being humiliated as a young boy while trying to protect a mute girl from bullies, due to the ineffectiveness of the Buddhist Palm moves he had learned from a pamphlet he bought from a beggar. He is convinced that he must be a tough, uncaring gangster in order to survive. Sing and Bone attempt to intimidate the residents of a housing complex called Pig Sty Alley by claiming to be Axe Gang members, but are chased off by its Landlady and the inhabitants. The idea behind Pig Sty Alley came from Chow’s childhood and the design is based on the crowded apartment complexes of Hong Kong where he had lived, as well as the 1973 Shaw Brothers Studio film, The House of 72 Tenants. Hearing of their actions, Sum orders the capture of Sing and Bone, while sending the Gang to reassert its authority in the wake of the humiliation. Three of the tenants, Coolie, Tailor, and Donut, reveal themselves to be martial arts masters, defeating more than fifty of the Gang. Fearing retribution, the Landlady evicts the three, but they encounter a pair of hired assassins who fight by launching invisible qi blades using a Guzheng. Coolie is beheaded, and Tailor and Donut are mortally wounded before the Landlady (played by the brilliant Yuen Qiu who was cast due to the way she ‘sarcastically’ smoked her cigarettes) and her husband the Landlord (played by Yuen Wah, a former student of the China Drama Academy Peking Opera School who appeared in over a hundred Hong Kong films and was a stunt double for Bruce Lee) reveal that they too are legendary martial arts masters, having gone into self-exile after the death of their son. The two defeat the assassins but Tailor and Donut die from their injuries. The Landlords temporarily evacuate the other tenants for their safety. Meanwhile, Sing engineers his and Bones escape from confinement, and Sum is impressed, offering them membership in the Gang if they can kill a person. Sing and Bone attempt to kill the Landlady, but their plan backfires, and Sing barely escapes from the Landlady's wrath. Seeking safety in a traffic pulpit, Sing is surprised as his body rapidly heals from the injuries sustained in the escape, the pain causing him to strike the sides of the pulpit with extreme force, covering the surface in indentations. Later, he attempts to mug an ice cream vendor, who turns out to be the mute girl; she offers him a lollipop, but he knocks it away, ashamed of himself and how far he has fallen. After sending Bone away, whom he blames for misfortunes, Sing is brought before Sum and suddenly given membership. Sum wants Sing to use his escape skills to free a legendary fighter known as ‘the Beast’ (played by Bruce Leung, Stephen Chow's childhood martial arts hero who was a famous action film director and actor in the 1970s and 1980s, known as the "Third Dragon" after Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan) from a mental asylum to use against Pig Sty Alley, offering Sing membership in the Gang for doing so. Upon being released, the Beast appears to be a middle-aged, slovenly, and flippant man, but is quickly shown to be a formidable and ruthless fighter. When the Landlords arrive at the Axe Gang casino to settle the score, Sum sends the Beast to fight them. Feigning defeat, he stabs both with hidden blades, weakening but not defeating them. Sum orders Sing to strike the Landlord to break the stalemate, but Sing has a change of heart and strikes Sum and the Beast instead. The Beast turns and brutally pummels Sing until he is rescued by the Landlords and taken back to Pig Sty Alley. The Beast kills Sum for disrupting his fight, takes over the Axe Gang, and orders an all-out assault on Pig Sty Alley. Back at the Alley, Sing undergoes a transformation brought on by the Beast's attack, fully healing himself, accessing his inner powers, and becoming a kung-fu master instantaneously. He sees to the well-being of the Landlords as the Gang arrives. Sing easily defeats the Gang and faces the Beast alone. The Beast uses his Toad style maneuvers to launch Sing high into the air. While aloft, Sing comes to peace with Buddha, and is able to use the Buddhist Palm method from his supposedly-fake childhood pamphlet to subdue the Beast. The Beast accepts defeat and calls Sing his master. Sometime later, Sing and Bone have opened a candy store; when Sing sees the ice cream vendor outside, he invites her in to share their childhood memories. Others like the Landlords enjoy the city without fear of the Axe Gang. The same beggar that had sold the pamphlet to Sing as a child is then shown attempting to sell another one to a young boy. Although the film is a gangster comedy, the fighting makes up two-thirds of the run time. Early scenes were choreographed by Sammo Hung, who quit after two months due to illness, tough outdoor conditions, interest in another project and arguments with the production crew. He was clearly fed up but his leaving was of benefit to the film as he was replaced by Yuen Woo-ping, an action choreographer with experience ranging from 1960s Hong Kong action cinema to more recent films like Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and The Matrix. Yuen made the decision to draw inspiration from seemingly outdated wuxia fighting styles like the Deadly Melody and Buddhist Palm, which had a huge impact on the finished feature. There are plenty fantastic special effects and wire work as you’d expect but there is a wonderful cartoon-like feel to the action, with many Wile E. Coyote and The Road Runner-style moments to enjoy. It’s basically everything you could want from a Kung Fu movie and more.

Return of the One-Armed Swordsman

Dir: Chang Cheh

1969

*****

Chang Cheh’s original One-Armed Swordsman paved the way for a new-wave of wuxia films and was a big hit for the Shaw Brothers, so a sequel was ordered fairly quickly. Director Cheh returned as did Jimmy Wang in the title role and Lisa Chiao Chiao as his wife. The story takes place some time after the events of the first film and the One-Armed Swordsman is now a farmer who lives peacefully with his wife working his land. While working his field one day he is approached by two men, a white and a black sword master. They invite him to a challenge on behalf of their masters, the Eight Sword Kings who are challenging the masters of all rival schools in an effort to take over the martial arts community. Any that refuse are murdered by the Eight Kings' twin enforcers, the Black and White Knights. Our one-armed hero tells them he’s never heard of them and tells them to leave. A local martial art school then visit Fang Kang and warn him that the Eight Sword Kings will not take no for an answer, they too don’t want to fight but decide it better to join forces and fight, rather than suffer the consequences. Fang still refuses. However, after capturing all the rival masters, the Eight Kings deliver an ultimatum; all the rival schools' students must cut off their sword arms and surrender the severed limbs to the Eight Kings, or the students' beloved teachers will all die.The students return to the legendary One-Armed Swordsman and ask his help, but he remains reluctant. When one student kidnaps his wife to force him to help he becomes enraged and goes after them but encounters the Eight King’s men. He finds his wife’s kidnapper dead and another pupil gives his life to save her but is is only convinced into helping them when a student actually does sacrificially chop his own arm off in despair right in front of him. With his wife’s blessing, the One-Armed Swordsman then prepares himself to contend with the unique styles and weapons of the Eight Kings. The first king is the Winged Blade (or Flying Dragon in another translation dub) who uses his speed and leaping prowess to attack from the air. One-Arm bests him and his students with a variety of ground-based traps. The second is Hooking Blade who wields a chained sickle. One-Arm defeats him by hanging him by his own weapon from a tree, allowing him to eviscerate him. Then he encounters Buried Blade who hides in pits before leaping out to ambush his opponents. One-Arm bests him by chopping down bamboo to pin down his students and then standing atop the trunks, keeping him out of reach of Buried Blade's attacks to stab him with a bamboo spear. Next is the Whirling Blade who wields a pair of bladed bucklers which can also be thrown as projectiles. He waits at the entrance of the King’s school. One-Arm catches the blades on his sword and flings them back at their owner, slicing through him like butter. Mighty Blade uses his immense strength and giant two handed sword to overpower his opponents. After luring him outside the Kings' fort, the students drop a net over him to restrain him as they mutilate him. Thunder Blade wields smokebombs and a sword whose blade conceals a smoke sprayer and a shotgun. After using water to douse the smoke, One-Arm uses a cloth shield to block the pellets before cutting him down. Thousand Blade (or One Thousand Fingers) the only female King uses her sexuality to lull her targets into lowering their guard before killing them with the many knives concealed in the sleeves of her robe. After failing to seduce One-Arm, she is fatally stabbed by one of the students she seduced and wounded. The Unseen Blade (the Unseen) the leader of the Eight Kings uses deception and distraction to confuse his opponents along with a collapsible sword whose blade can extend during battle and also has a hidden hook. One-Arm uses his skill in close range combat and left handed sword fighting to get inside Unseen's range and slice off his sword arm. In the end the One-Armed Swordsman defeats the Eight Kings and their armies, but by that time all of the sword fighting students who were helping him are dead. He leaves the last King, Unseen, to be killed by their vengeful masters as he and his wife return home. Return of the One-Armed Swordsman is an example of a sequel preceding the original. The title character had already been developed at this point, so really Cheh could just get on with telling a new story, which is what he does without wasting any time. The various different characters are brilliant – most wuxia films have one or two great villains, this film has ten, each one as colourful as the last. The fighting sequences are amazing with loads of wire work and trampoline stunts, keeping the action flowing constantly. It is as epic as a small-set studio film could ever be, with action taking place in various different locations. Its not just the best One-Armed Swordsman film but it’s one of the best wuxia films of all time. Fang is a complex hero – almost an antihero and the villains are serious enemies and not cartoonish. There is no feeble attempts at humour and all the supporting characters have depth to them. The direction is perfect, in fact, everything is perfect, even the script – which is something that is often pretty weak in martial arts movies. The original One-Armed Swordsman was hugely influential but its follow up really paved the way in terms of fighting scenes, character development and just plain awesomeness. If you don’t like Return of the One-Armed Swordsman then the genre just isn’t for you.

One-Armed Swordsman

Dir: Chang Cheh

1967

****

1967’s One-Armed Swordsman is the big wuxia film produced by the Shaw Brothers Studio that is considered the one that popularized the genre. It is, arguably, Hong Kong's first real martial arts film and the first of a new style of wuxia films emphasizing male anti-heroes, violent swordplay and heavy bloodletting. It’s funny, while the western world is still struggling to make films that feature a more diverse cross-section of society, martial arts films were featuring disabled heroes decades ago. Directed by Chang Cheh, it was the first Hong Kong film to make HK$1 million at the local box office, propelling its star Jimmy Wang to super stardom. This film became the first in the One-Armed Swordsman trilogy. A sequel was released in 1969 called Return of the One-Armed Swordsman, followed by The New One-Armed Swordsman in 1971, all directed by Cheh. The One-Armed Swordsman also met the legendary Zatoichi in 1971 in Kimiyoshi Yasuda’s Zatoichi and the One-Armed Swordsman, starring the great Shintaro Katsu. The film begins as the Golden Sword school is attacked by bandits. The servant Fang Cheng sacrifices his life to protect his master Qi Ru Feng. In gratitude, Qi accepts the dying Fang Cheng's son, Fang Kang, as his student. Years later, Fang Kang is scorned by his snobbish fellow students because of his poor background. Deciding that he will only cause trouble for his master Fang Kang leaves the school only to run into his classmates and his master's spoiled daughter, Pei Er. In the ensuing fight Fang's right arm is cut off by Pei Er, who is angry at his indifference towards her. Stumbling away, Fang falls off a bridge into the passing boat of a peasant girl Xiao Man. Xiao Man nurses him back to health and the two fall in love. Fang Kang is nevertheless depressed as he is unable to practice his swordsmanship. Reluctantly, Xiao Man gives him a half-burnt kung-fu manual which she had inherited from her now dead parents. With its help, Fang Kang is able to master a new one-armed style of swordplay, making him stronger than before. Meanwhile, master Qi Ru Feng is preparing for his 55th birthday and has invited all of his students to the celebration to choose a successor from among them so that he can retire from the martial arts world. However, his old enemies the Long-armed Devil and the Smiling Tiger Cheng are taking the opportunity to destroy Qi Ru Feng. Using a specially designed "sword-lock", they ambush and kill Qi's students travelling to the celebration. Fang Kang inadvertently learns of the plot and, breaking his promise to Xiao Man not to involve himself in the martial arts world, rushes to save his master. He is delayed en route by the Long Armed Devil's accomplices and when he arrives the Long Armed Devil has already killed most of the students and wounded Qi Ru Feng. In a vicious battle, Fang Kang manages to kill the Long Armed Devil, but chooses to return to Xiao Man and become a farmer, instead of taking his master's place at the school. There is much to appreciate about Chang Cheh classic picture. For starters, I loved how the film removed all traces of humour, concentrating only on serious drama. Far too many of the Shaw Brothers films are, in my opinion, ruined by feeble attempts at comedy. I also liked the character development and the way our anti-hero goes about his unintentional revenge. For sure he kills a lot of people but his real revenge does not involve death. For instance, he actually saves Pei Er’s life out of respect for her father, his greatest revenge on her is to admit his indifference towards her. Other bandits who continuously bully him regarding his disability are also not attacked and killed, instead, our One-Armed Swordsman defends himself, cutting off their hands and making them just as disabled as he is, giving them the chance to better themselves as he did. The only frustrating element of the film is the supporting fighters. The students, we are told, have been learning their martial arts since early childhood. They learn what to anticipate and how to react accordingly. So when the Long-armed Devil and the Smiling Tiger Cheng turn up with their new weapon, you would think they’d quickly learn how it worked and how dangerous it was, especially after witnessing around thirty or so people (their brothers and loved ones) being killed by it. Of all the good things I learned from the film, the one negative was that most martial artists are impulsive and stupid – two things I always thought martial artist were very much not. Still, the film is intense and picturesque. Hugely influential, the One-Armed Swordsman is rightly regarded as one of the best and most important marital art film ever made.

Shogun Assassin

Dir: Robert Houston, Kenji Misumi

1980

*****

The one thing that really bothers me about Quentin Tarantino’s Kill Bill 2 is that Bill – a martial arts obsessive - lets his daughter watch Shogun Assassin. Indeed, the girl’s mother – also at one with the ancient art of Kung-fu – sits and watches the film with her. If either had been a respected martial artist they would have insisted that their daughter watch Lone Wolf and Cub: Sword of Vengeance – followed in quick succession by Lone Wolf and Cub: Baby Cart at the River Styx. That said, I do love Shogun Assassin, the ridiculous narration by an American child (Gibran Evans – whose father Jim Evens created the poster and title treatment for the film) and basically all the best bits from the first two Lone Wolf and Cub/Baby Cart films. Who doesn’t like a ‘greatest hits’ reel now and again, and without Shogun Assassin The Wu-Tang Clan wouldn’t have some of their best songs. It was edited using a lawn mower for British and American audiences whom ‘directors’ Robert Houston and his partner David Weisman (a protégé of Andy Warhol) didn’t think would understand the original series. A fan of the original Kozure Ōkami films, Weisman had obtained the rights for $50,000 from the American office of Toho Studios. The film was distributed by Roger Corman's New World Pictures to the grindhouse movie circuit in the United States, and then later as a video cassette from MCA/Universal Home Video. When released in the United Kingdom by the Vipco video tape label in 1983, Shogun Assassin's extreme violence almost caused it to be banned by the Home Office. Vipco played this for publicity in the cover art of their 2000 release on DVD, which was stamped "Banned since 1983!”. The Zatoichi films were quite popular with western audiences and was one of the first martial arts series to become accepted, so the fact that Shintaro Katsu produced it and was the brother of Tomisaburo Wakayama – the film’s main character – it was the recipe for success. It wasn’t a mainstream success but it was a cult classic – which means it was more successful in the long run. As cheap as the whole thing is (think What’s Up Tiger Lily – but with blood and decapitations) you can’t deny that the opening line isn’t brilliant. It’s now iconic and the stuff of cult legend. “When I was little, my father was famous. He was the greatest Samurai in the empire, and he was the Shogun's decapitator. He cut off the heads of 131 lords for the Shogun. It was a bad time for the empire. The Shogun just stayed inside his castle and he never came out. People said his brain was infected by devils, and that he was rotting with evil. The Shogun said the people were not loyal. He said he had a lot of enemies, but he killed more people than that. It was a bad time. Everybody living in fear, but still we were happy. My father would come home to mother, and when he had seen her, he would forget about the killings. He wasn't scared of the Shogun, but the Shogun was scared of him. Maybe that was the problem. At night, mother would sing for us, while father would go into his temple and pray for peace. He'd pray for things to get better. Then, one night the Shogun sent his ninja spies to our house. They were supposed to kill my father, but they didn't. That was the night everything changed, forever. That was when my father left his samurai life and became a demon. He became an assassin who walks the road of vengeance. And he took me with him. I don't remember most of this myself. I only remember the Shogun's ninja hunting us wherever we go. And the bodies falling. And the blood”. The action takes off straight away, with a two hooded samurai attack on Ogami while he is pushing a cart with his young son Daigorō inside. Ogami fends off the attack of the first, breaking the samurai's sword and splitting his head. The second attacker jumps over the first, with the first still clasping Ogami's blade. Ogami pulls off a handrail from the cart and a blade comes out, transforming it into a spear. Ogami then uses the spear to impale the second attacker. As the first is dying, he reminds Ogami that he is marked for death. As Ogami and Daigorō sit by a roadside fire and eat their evening meal, Ogami remembers how he offered the infant Daigorō the life-death choice: either Ogami's sword (which would mean that Daigorō would join him on his mission of vengeance against the Shogun) or Daigorō's ball (which would mean that Daigorō would be killed, so that he could be with his mother in heaven). Daigorō chooses the sword. The next day, the Shogun's officials bring Ogami the Shogun's orders: either swear eternal loyalty or commit suicide with Daigorō. Ogami decides to fight his way to freedom with Daigorō, only to have his path blocked by the Shogun and his men. The Shogun challenges Ogami to fight Kurando (the Shogun's son) in a duel; if Ogami wins, he wins his freedom. Ogami accepts, and eventually cuts off Kurando's head. Ogami and Daigorō journey on, never stopping in one place for very long as the Shogun's ninjas are always following them. As they wander, Daigorō recalls how Lord Bizen and his men were given orders to kill him. Even though Bizen's men are wearing chain mail beneath their robes, Ogami's skill and blade are too powerful. Ogami lures Lord Bizen into the middle of a stream and uses an underwater sword-slash technique to kill him. Ogami sees the Shogun watching from a distance and he swears to the Shogun that he will destroy him and all of his ninjas. The Supreme Ninja receives orders from the Shogun to kill Ogami and Daigorō. Lord Kurogawa doesn't believe the Supreme Ninja's women are up to the task, so she proves otherwise by ordering her ninjas to kill Junai (Kurogawa's strongest ninja). Ogami and Daigorō meet secretly with a client to discuss a business proposition. Ogami is offered the task of killing Lord Kiru (the Shogun's brother), and in return he will receive ten pieces of gold. Ogami accepts the mission and is told that Lord Kiru is being escorted by a three-brother team known as the 'Masters of Death.' During Ogami and Daigorō's journey to find Lord Kiru, they are attacked several times by The Supreme Ninja's women. Ogami kills them each time. Ogami finally faces the Supreme Ninja herself. She attacks Ogami with a weighted net that contains fishhooks, but Ogami cuts himself free and the Supreme Ninja flees by running away backward. Ogami and Daigorō keep on traveling, but they now come face-to-face with Lord Kurogawa's entire ninja force. Pushing Daigorō in his cart to safety, Ogami uses the spear blades in the cart's handrails to attack. All but two of the ninja are cut down, but Ogami is left wounded. He manages to push Daigorō to the safety of a deserted hut before collapsing from loss of blood. Daigorō goes in search of water for his father, finally bringing it back in his mouth, then takes some food offerings from a roadside shrine, leaving his jacket in honorable exchange. The Supreme Ninja meets with Lord Kurogawa to report her failure but Lord Kurogawa has another plan: to strike at Ogami through Daigorō. Later that night, Daigorō is lured outside the hut by the sound of a woman singing. Waking up to find Daigorō gone, Ogami searches for his son. He finds Daigorō is a prisoner of Lord Kurogawa and the Supreme Ninja. Daigorō is tied up and suspended over a deep well. Kuroawa demands that Ogami surrender or he will drop Daigorō down the well. Ogami refuses, so Kurogawa and his men attack. Kurogawa lets go of the rope suspending Daigorō over the well, but Ogami manages to stamp his foot down on the rope and kill Kurogawa (and his two ninjas) at the same time. Ignoring the Supreme Ninja, who has not moved throughout the fight, Ogami carefully pulls Daigorō up to safety. Instead of killing the Supreme Ninja, Ogami walks away with Daigorō. Ogami and Daigorō board a ship which is carrying the 'Masters of Death' to their rendezvous with Lord Kiru. Also on board is the Supreme Ninja. During the night, the remaining rebels start a fire on board the ship. In the ensuing inferno, the 'Masters of Death' tell Ogami that they recognize him, but that they will not attack him as long as he makes no move against them. Ogami agrees to their terms and they leave him. The companionway is blocked by flames, so he cuts through the deck planking. Ogami then puts Daigorō in his cart and throws them both overboard to safety. The Supreme Ninja attacks Ogami from underwater but he overpowers her. Getting Daigorō, himself and the Supreme Ninja to shore and to the shelter of a fisherman's hut, he strips all three of them naked and gathers them close together, telling the Supreme Ninja that they must share their body heat or die. The Supreme Ninja doesn't understand why he would save her and realizes she cannot kill Ogami or his son. The next day, Ogami and Daigorō leave her there, knowing that she will have to return to the Shogun, report her failure and commit suicide. The 'Masters of Death' escort Lord Kiru and his entourage through a desert area, where they are attacked by a rebel force concealed under the sand. The 'Masters of Death' then fight off and kill all of the rebels. Lord Kiru is taken to safety. However, they haven't gone far before they see Daigorō standing in their way. He points to Ogami, who is waiting. The 'Masters of Death' finally face off against Ogami, but one by one they are cut down and killed. Ogami then chases after Lord Kiru's procession, driving off the guards. Lord Kiru protests that he is the Shogun's brother, but Ogami tells Kiru that the "Shogun means nothing" to him. Ogami then kills Lord Kiru with his sword. As he and his father walk away from the carnage, Daigorō looks back one last time and says via voice-over, "I guess I wish it was different ... but a wish is only a wish". It’s hard to say which film you should watch first. I watched Shogun Assassin before I watched the Lone Wolf and Cub series and it made me want to see the originals. If you watch the original series first, Shogun Assassin won’t make a great deal of sense to you but could serve as a fun ‘greatest hits’ compilation. It is one of the few re-workings of a film I have time for. It’s a classic in its own right, but then it isn’t that far removed from the original and I’m not sure really how Robert Houston can be credited as ‘director’ when really all that has been done is some editing and voice over. A ridiculous reworking that shouldn’t really exist but a classic in its own right. The west would never have embraced martial arts films or underground foreign films in general without it.

Lone Wolf and Cub: White Heaven in Hell (AKA Shogun Assassin 5: Cold Road to Hell)
Dir: Yoshiyuki Kuroda
1974
****
The Lone Wolf and Cub series (known as ‘Wolf taking along his child’ in Japan) started out as a manga comic created by writer Kazuo Koike and artist Goseki Kojima. First published in 1970, the story was later adapted into six films starring Tomisaburo Wakayama, four plays, a television series starring Kinnosuke Yorozuya and is widely recognized as an important and influential work. Lone Wolf and Cub chronicles the story of Ogami Ittō, the shōgun's executioner who uses a dōtanuki battle sword. Disgraced by false accusations from the Yagyū clan, he is forced to take the path of the assassin. Along with his three-year-old son, Daigorō, they seek revenge on the Yagyū clan and are known as "Lone Wolf and Cub". A total of six Lone Wolf and Cub films starring Tomisaburo Wakayama as Ogami Ittō and Tomikawa Akihiro as Daigoro have been produced based on the manga. They are also known as the Sword of Vengeance series, based on the English-language title of the first film, and later as the Baby Cart series, because young Daigoro travels in a baby carriage pushed by his father. The first three films, directed by Kenji Misumi, were released in 1972 and produced by Shintaro Katsu, Tomisaburo Wakayama's brother and the star of the 26 part Zatoichi film series. The next three films were produced by Wakayama himself and directed by Buichi Saito, Kenji Misumi and Yoshiyuki Kuroda, released in 1972, 1973, and 1974 respectively. The more famous Shogun Assassin (1980) was an English language compilation for the American audience, edited mainly from the second film, with 11 minutes of footage from the first. Also, the third film, Lone Wolf and Cub: Baby Cart to Hades was re-released on DVD in the US under the name Shogun Assassin 2: Lightning Swords of Death. While I love Shogun Assassin and the weird American child narration, you can’t beat the originals and they should be watched over the edited remake. The sixth and final film of the series, Lone Wolf and Cub: White Heaven in Hell (released in the USA as Shogun Assassin 5: Cold Road to Hell), was directed by Yoshiyuki Kuroda and is the only Lone Wolf and Cub film not to be directed by either Kenji Misumi or Buichi Saito. It’s a very different film to the others but a fine way to end the series. Yoshiyuki Kuroda brings an updated feel to the film, dating it very much in the mid-70s. The music is ace and out of the six film this one feels the most of its time. It actually reminded me of a Roger Moore era James Bond film in several scenes and the appearance of skiing samurai was something I didn’t realise I would love until I saw it. While still on his travels, this time in the snowy mountains of Japan, the swordsman Ogami Ittō and his young son Daigoro are confronted by a secretive branch of the Yagyū clan that practices black magic, including the ability to burrow through the earth. Retsudo is back and this time he wants to finish the job. Ittō has killed all but one of his children so far, so instead of getting someone else to kill him, he orders his daughter to go after him. No need to call social services just yet though, as his daughter Kaori is an expert with knives and has a nifty little trick where she throws a knife in the air and always manages to get it to land on the head of her enemy. Ittō however is now fool and he sees past her little trick. Retsudo does have an illegitimate son though, his method of attack is psychological though, and instead of going after Ittō, he just kills all the innocent people he comes in contact with – including the candy seller – which clearly upsets little Daigoro. There is a lot of weird magic in this episode which makes for entertaining but puzzling viewing. The gore is good though and the snowy background makes for a nice change of scene. The final battle between Ittō and the combined clan groups under Retsudo on a snow-capped mountain is brilliant and a great way to end the series. The baby cart becomes a sled and Ittō defeats the entire army, shooting, stabbing, slashing, dismembering and beheading the entire army. Somehow the one-eyed Retsudo again gets away, vowing to kill Ittō another time but alas, he never does. It was time to call it a day and end on a high. Daigoro was getting older and it was becoming inappropriate to see him naked and bathing with his father. He overreacted quite a few times in this episode which was out of character but apart from that it was classic Baby cart. The epic climatic fight sequence in the snow took a month and a half to shoot. The shoot was grueling and Tomisaburô Wakayama almost collapsed several times. It was so cold on the day that the opening sequence with Ogami Itto and Daigoro walking across a desolate wintry landscape that child actor Akihiro Tomikawa started crying and refused to do the scene. The situation was rectified by substituting a dummy for Tomikawa as Daigoro in the long shots. It was all worth it though and the film is brilliant. A fine ending to a fine series.

Lone Wolf and Cub: Baby Cart in the Land of Demons

Dir: Kenji Misumi

1973

****

The Lone Wolf and Cub series (known as ‘Wolf taking along his child’ in Japan) started out as a manga comic created by writer Kazuo Koike and artist Goseki Kojima. First published in 1970, the story was later adapted into six films starring Tomisaburo Wakayama, four plays, a television series starring Kinnosuke Yorozuya and is widely recognized as an important and influential work. Lone Wolf and Cub chronicles the story of Ogami Ittō, the shōgun's executioner who uses a dōtanuki battle sword. Disgraced by false accusations from the Yagyū clan, he is forced to take the path of the assassin. Along with his three-year-old son, Daigorō, they seek revenge on the Yagyū clan and are known as "Lone Wolf and Cub". A total of six Lone Wolf and Cub films starring Tomisaburo Wakayama as Ogami Ittō and Tomikawa Akihiro as Daigoro have been produced based on the manga. They are also known as the Sword of Vengeance series, based on the English-language title of the first film, and later as the Baby Cart series, because young Daigoro travels in a baby carriage pushed by his father. The first three films, directed by Kenji Misumi, were released in 1972 and produced by Shintaro Katsu, Tomisaburo Wakayama's brother and the star of the 26 part Zatoichi film series. The next three films were produced by Wakayama himself and directed by Buichi Saito, Kenji Misumi and Yoshiyuki Kuroda, released in 1972, 1973, and 1974 respectively. The more famous Shogun Assassin (1980) was an English language compilation for the American audience, edited mainly from the second film, with 11 minutes of footage from the first. Also, the third film, Lone Wolf and Cub: Baby Cart to Hades was re-released on DVD in the US under the name Shogun Assassin 2: Lightning Swords of Death. While I love Shogun Assassin and the weird American child narration, you can’t beat the originals and they should be watched over the edited remake. The fifth film, Lone Wolf and Cub: Baby Cart in the Land of Demons (released in the USA as Shogun Assassin 4: Five Fistfuls of Gold), unlike the fifth film, was directed by Kenji Misumi who directed the first three films. I enjoyed the fourth film and thought the change in director brought an air of freshness to the series but I was of course happy to see Misumi return to the story he helped make great. That said, there is something about the fifth instalment that doesn’t seem quite right. I liked how Daigoro is more of a character in his own right now that he’s ever so slightly older but I thought the pace, style and tone of Baby Cart in the Land of Demons looked a little bit tired. The story begins, as they all do, with Ogami Itto wandering the land pushing Daigoro in his baby cart. Once more, while on his travels on "the Demon Path in Hell", Ogami Itto is confronted by a series of messengers who represent a clan wanting his services. Each assassin in turn administers a specific test of his abilities, and when bested, gives Ogami partial payment for the job and, as per his usual stipulation, discloses some of the "secrets and reasons" for the killing. Why the clan members couldn’t just deliver the message is anyone’s guess, but clan rules are clan rules, each messenger has to die to deliver each message. Luckily they manage to deliver said message with swords in their necks, holes in their chests and before they die of poisoning. By the time Ogami has defeated all the messengers, he has been informed of a conspiracy to disguise a daimyō’s illegitimate female offspring as a prince, while the clan leader's official offspring, a son, is kept concealed. A letter uncovering the plot is being delivered by a monk to the shōgun, which would mean the dissolution of the clan, leaving retainers, samurai, and vassals without an organization to support them which would be a disastrous end. Ogami is to intercept the Buddhist monk carrying the letter – not something he would usually do, but something he feels committed to do now that he’s killed so many of their clan. The monk will be traveling under the protection of his arch enemy, the now one-eyed Yagyū Retsudō, further complicating the mission. On a stopover at a town festival, Itto's three year old son, Daigoro is separated from his father and gets mixed up with a notorious female pickpocket who is being chased by constables. She asks him to promise not to divulge her identity, and when he is confronted he keeps his promise. The law officers publicly flog him in front of the townspeople, until the pickpocket surrenders herself and confesses. Still Daigoro keeps his word. Finally the constables release him, impressed by his stoic courage and honor. On route to intercept the monk, Ogami is contracted to kill the senile old lord, his concubine and the young daughter. He arrives at the temple and kills just about everyone inside. Before doing so he explains his actions while Daigoro pulls faces at the young clan leader, making her giggle. She soon orders Ogami’s death and is beheaded soon after, along with her father and his concubine. It’s a bit harsh killing a little girl and cutting her head off but Ogami is a man of his word, you can’t accuse him of not fulfilling contracts and preserving order – even if it means killing a million people and watching the ones left over kill themselves. I think the story is strong and is what the series needed but it also felt a little like the overall feel of the film took a step back. I love it but not quite as much as the first four.

Lone Wolf and Cub: Baby Cart in Peril (AKA Shogun Assassin 3: Slashing Blades of Carnage)

Dir: Buichi Saito

1972

*****

The Lone Wolf and Cub series (known as ‘Wolf taking along his child’ in Japan) started out as a manga comic created by writer Kazuo Koike and artist Goseki Kojima. First published in 1970, the story was later adapted into six films starring Tomisaburo Wakayama, four plays, a television series starring Kinnosuke Yorozuya and is widely recognized as an important and influential work. Lone Wolf and Cub chronicles the story of Ogami Ittō, the shōgun's executioner who uses a dōtanuki battle sword. Disgraced by false accusations from the Yagyū clan, he is forced to take the path of the assassin. Along with his three-year-old son, Daigorō, they seek revenge on the Yagyū clan and are known as "Lone Wolf and Cub". A total of six Lone Wolf and Cub films starring Tomisaburo Wakayama as Ogami Ittō and Tomikawa Akihiro as Daigoro have been produced based on the manga. They are also known as the Sword of Vengeance series, based on the English-language title of the first film, and later as the Baby Cart series, because young Daigoro travels in a baby carriage pushed by his father. The first three films, directed by Kenji Misumi, were released in 1972 and produced by Shintaro Katsu, Tomisaburo Wakayama's brother and the star of the 26 part Zatoichi film series. The next three films were produced by Wakayama himself and directed by Buichi Saito, Kenji Misumi and Yoshiyuki Kuroda, released in 1972, 1973, and 1974 respectively. The more famous Shogun Assassin (1980) was an English language compilation for the American audience, edited mainly from the second film, with 11 minutes of footage from the first. Also, the third film, Lone Wolf and Cub: Baby Cart to Hades was re-released on DVD in the US under the name Shogun Assassin 2: Lightning Swords of Death. While I love Shogun Assassin and the weird American child narration, you can’t beat the originals and they should be watched over the edited remake. The fourth film, Lone Wolf and Cub: Baby Cart in Peril (released in the USA as Shogun Assassin 3: Slashing Blades of Carnage), unlike the first three films, was directed by Buichi Saito. It felt marginally different in style and somewhat slower in places but I loved the slight change in direction and I thought it really lifted the series. The film starts with a somewhat reoccurring theme of breasts, as we see Oyuki, a tattooed female assassin – the renegade member of a daimyō's personal bodyguard detail – killing every man that is sent up against her. Along with her deadly use of the short blade, she strips to the waist while fighting to reveal elaborate tattoos on her chest and back. On her front is a kintarō (a big red super-strength baby) grasping her left breast. A portrait of a mountain witch covers her back. She then cuts off her victims' topknots, or chonmage, which brings dishonor to the dead man and his family. Ogami Ittō, the disgraced former shōgun's executioner, or Kogi Kaishakunin, is soon hired to kill Oyuki. He tracks down the tattoo artist, who explains that she was a "fine" woman who did not scream as he dug into her flesh with his needles. Meanwhile, Ittō's 3-year-old son, Daigoro, has grown restless waiting by the baby cart his father uses to trundle him about in. He goes exploring and finds a pair of performing clowns on the street. When the clowns finish their performance, Daigoro follows them, hoping to see more. But the clowns shoo him away, saying it's time to go home. Now, Daigoro has wandered too far. He is lost, and has become separated from his father. Agents of the Ogamis' mortal enemies, the Yagyū, are never far away. A procession of them, accompanied by the sound of gongs and annoyingly loud shrieks, sends Daigoro into hiding. Ittō must give up his search rather than risk an entanglement with the men, so he travels on alone. Daigoro spends days looking for his father, searching in every temple in the countryside. He enters one temple and sees a figure at the altar praying, but it is not his father. Rather, it is a man whom Daigoro immediately recognizes as someone who is unfriendly. The man follows Daigoro, who wanders into a grass field as it is being lit on fire by farmers. Unwittingly, Daigoro is surrounded by the flames, but he proves his resourcefulness by burying himself and surviving. The man then turns his sword on Daigoro, who raises a stick to defend himself, and in that instant the man realizes who Daigoro is – and more importantly, who his father is. Just then, Ittō comes into the picture, and the two recognize each other. The man, it turns out is Gunbei Yagyū, the outcast son of Retsudo Yagyū. Gunbei and Itto had competed for the post of shogun's executioner, and Gunbei's fierce swordsmanship surely would have won him the post, but in his over zealousness, he ends up pointing his sword at the shogun – a taboo movement that costs him the job and makes him an outcast. His brothers are killed as a result of his shameful actions. Ittō and Gunbei now have a rematch, but Ittō is much improved and is ready for Gunbei. With a swift stroke, he chops off Gunbei's right arm. Gunbei then begs Ittō to kill him, but Ittō refuses, saying there is nothing to be gained from slaying a man who is already dead. With Gunbei out of the way and father and son reunited, the action then turns on finding the tattooed killer, Oyuki. He first stops at a settlement of street actors that Oyuki was said to be a part of. He talks to the elder and hears more of her story, and it happens that the elder is Oyuki's father, who is opposed to her actions and cooperates with Ittō. Ittō finally locates Oyuki at a hotspring and witnesses her in action against more vassals who have come to try to kill her. Then her nemesis, her former instructor who raped her and set her on her bloody vendetta, shows up with his flaming sword and blazing eyes. But she is no longer in his sway, and when he sees her tattoos, he is distracted and killed. Finally, Ittō and Oyuki must duel, and he makes quick work of her. She dies a splendid death, as Ittō says, without having to disrobe (again). Retsudo Yagyū, meanwhile, has been playing politics. He manipulates a local daimyō into bringing in Ittō, but Ittō is able to use the baby cart and its weapons to escape from the daimyō's palace and take the man hostage. As Ittō is leaving the area with the daimyo along for safety, he is attacked by the Yagyū. The daimyō is killed by some musketeers and Ittō goes headlong into battle, telling his son Daigoro that he is entering the "crossroads to hell". It is a fierce battle, ending with Ittō and Retsudo in combat. They trade blows – Retsudo gets a blade in his right eye and Ittō a sword in his back. Ittō kills the swordsman who stabs him, but Retsudo gets away. Daigoro finds his father and with great effort, pulls the sword from his father's back. Despite being severely wounded, Ittō carries Daigoro to the cart and slowly pushes it away, seeking medical treatment for himself. Watching over the scene is the now one-armed Gunbei, who is happy to see Ittō live to fight another day. Daigoro seems to spend less time in the baby cart in this episode as he he is clearly a bit older but the attention to detail is great. You can see nearly every scar Ittō has received in the previous films and by the end he begins to feel more and more vulnerable while Daigoro gets stronger. The first three films feel a bit like their own trilogy and Baby Cart in Peril feels a bit like a fresh beginning, while it still carries on from where the last film left off. The fighting sequences are brilliant and the new characters work well, although the back story interferes somewhat with the overall continuity. By this point most franchises have had their day but Baby Cart in Peril gave it a spring in its step and sharpened its sword somewhat.

Lone Wolf and Cub: Baby Cart at the River Styx

Dir: Kenji Misumi

1972

*****

The Lone Wolf and Cub series (known as ‘Wolf taking along his child’ in Japan) started out as a manga comic created by writer Kazuo Koike and artist Goseki Kojima. First published in 1970, the story was later adapted into six films starring Tomisaburo Wakayama, four plays, a television series starring Kinnosuke Yorozuya and is widely recognized as an important and influential work. Lone Wolf and Cub chronicles the story of Ogami Ittō, the shōgun's executioner who uses a dōtanuki battle sword. Disgraced by false accusations from the Yagyū clan, he is forced to take the path of the assassin. Along with his three-year-old son, Daigorō, they seek revenge on the Yagyū clan and are known as "Lone Wolf and Cub". A total of six Lone Wolf and Cub films starring Tomisaburo Wakayama as Ogami Ittō and Tomikawa Akihiro as Daigoro have been produced based on the manga. They are also known as the Sword of Vengeance series, based on the English-language title of the first film, and later as the Baby Cart series, because young Daigoro travels in a baby carriage pushed by his father. The first three films, directed by Kenji Misumi, were released in 1972 and produced by Shintaro Katsu, Tomisaburo Wakayama's brother and the star of the 26 part Zatoichi film series. The next three films were produced by Wakayama himself and directed by Buichi Saito, Kenji Misumi and Yoshiyuki Kuroda, released in 1972, 1973, and 1974 respectively. The more famous Shogun Assassin (1980) was an English language compilation for the American audience, edited mainly from the second film, with 11 minutes of footage from the first. Also, the third film, Lone Wolf and Cub: Baby Cart to Hades was re-released on DVD in the US under the name Shogun Assassin 2: Lightning Swords of Death. In the second film, Lone Wolf and Cub: Baby Cart at the River Styx, we find the disgraced former executioner Ogami Ittō living rough on the land with his three-year-old son Daigoro, continuously travelling the countryside as a hired killer. Still pushing his son in a baby cart, he stops at a bathhouse looking for a room and a bath and is eagerly welcomed in by a young woman. However, the manager of the house sees Ittō as a dirty vagabond and scolds the young woman for letting him in the house. Overhearing this, Ittō goes to the baby cart and retrieves a bundle and hands it to the manager for safe keeping – it is 500 gold pieces, earned from a recent job. The manager's tone quickly changes and treats the pair as his guests. However, Ittō's activities are being watched by the Kurokawa spy clan of shinobi-class ninja, which have fallen in with Ittō's nemesis, the Shadow Yagyū. They report on his activities to Sayaka, head of Akari Yagyū clan of female assassins. But the Kurokawa are unsure that the women are up to the task of killing Ittō. Sayaka laughs confidently and tells the Kurokawas' leader to send their best man into the room. She then orders the man to try to exit the room. He tries to do so by grappling onto the ceiling, but the female assassins set upon him and make short work of him, hacking off his ears, fingers, arms and legs, leaving the man a writhing heap of just a torso and head before he is finally finished off. It’s up there as one of my favorite samurai scenes of all time, thanks to Sayaka forced laugh (often parodied) and the ridiculous amounts of gore. Ittō, meanwhile, is hired by a clan that specializes in making indigo dye and has a secret process. One of the clan plans to sell out the secret to the shōgun. Ittō must kill him. The turncoat will be escorted by the three Hidari brothers, each a master of a deadly weapon – the iron claw, the flying mace and a pair of armored gloves. There is a strong ‘The Good, The Bad and the Ugly about the Hidari brothers with most of their scenes looking like something out of a Sergio Leone movie. As he travels to his job, Ittō encounters three groups of female assassins. The first group is disguised as an acrobat troupe that turns deadly as their gymnastic moves are combined with blades and turned against Ittō. He then encounters a pair of women who with blades on their straw hats that they throw at Ittō as if they are Frisbees. Finally, some women washing vegetables by the river turn out to be assassins and the daikons they are washing are wielded as weapons. Ittō kills them all. Then he meets Sayaka, who catches him, his son and the baby cart in a steel net. Ittō cuts his way out of the net and engages in a sword duel with her. He delivers what should be a disabling blow to her ankles, but the woman fighter jumps straight up out of her kimono to reveal a fishnet body suit and then runs away, bizarrely jogging backwards in what is one of my favorite simple special effects of all time. The Kurokawa clan are waiting for Ittō, who puts together his naginata (disguised as railing on the baby cart) and gives the baby cart a shove toward the waiting enemies. Daigoro, still in the baby cart then activates blades in the axles of the cart, which cut off the feet of several men. The battle that ensues between Ittō and the Kurokawas is fierce and Ittō is injured before he has killed them all. Weary from the endless fighting, Ittō struggles along the road and eventually finds shelter in a shack. Daigoro, seeing that his father needs his help, must do what he can. Unable to carry water in his tiny hands, Daigoro carries water from the river in his mouth. He spits the few drops he could carry between his father's parched lips. For food, Daigoro finds some rice cakes given as an offering to a Buddha statue and takes them for his father, leaving his vest in exchange. Ittō recovers and finds that his son is missing. Daigoro has been taken by the Kurokawa and Sayaka, tied up and suspended over a water well. If Ittō attacks, they will let go of the rope and Daigoro will plunge to his death. Daigoro lets his sandal drop into the well, giving Ittō a gauge of how deep it is. He then makes his move as the rope unspools, stopping it just in time. Sayaka watches silently and makes no move to engage the swordsman, realising his technique far outstrips her own and perhaps also out of a sense of honor for the devotion of the father to his child. Ittō then finds himself aboard a ship, carrying the three Hidari brothers. Ittō is met by several other members of the indigo-dye clan, who try to kill the Hidaris but are bloodily rebuffed. The clan then sets the ship on fire in an attempt to kill the Hidaris, but the three killers escape. Ittō tosses Daigoro and the baby cart into the water, knowing the cart can float. Sayaka has followed Ittō onto the ship and in the water, she tries to kill him, but is disarmed. Ittō, with Daigoro and Sayaka, find shelter, but they are cold. Ittō disrobes himself and Daigoro, then turns on Sayaka, tearing off her clothes. But he does not mean to rape her as is suggested. Instead, he is seeking to get her out of her cold, wet clothes and cling to her while nude. "Three people are warmer than two," he explains. She thinks about taking his sword and killing him, but the cozy scene, with Daigoro sitting between them, playfully fondling her breast (and Itto's), makes her abandon the plan. The final showdown takes place on a vast area of sand dunes. The Hidari brothers are at the head of a caravan of men carrying a palanquin with the indigo expert inside. The brother with the iron claw suddenly runs forward and thrusts his claw into the sand, which boils up with blood. There are men hiding in the sand and, in some pretty gory scenes, even for a samurai film, he digs his claw into the sand several times, each time creating a pool of blood and pulling up a hiding warrior by his head. The rest of the hidden men in the sand emerge and fight, but the Hidari brothers dispatch them all. Ittō awaits, alone, at the top of a large dune. Each brother is dispatched in a high-pressure spray of blood, with the last brother dispatched in a lethal stroke along the throat, a cut that sprays blood in a fine mist, while making a sound like the "howling of the wind". The final slain Hidari brother comments such a fabled finishing stroke is referred to as "Mogaribue", and wishes he had heard the sound just once from the many people he has killed, but is instead hearing it from his own neck as his life slowly drains away. Ittō approaches the palanquin with the traitorous indigo expert inside, quickly finishing him before gathering Daigoro and again setting off. The end sees them out of the desert and on a coastal trail, followed by Sayaka. Aware of her presence Ittō stops the cart, looking straight ahead whilst holding out his dotanuki blade, as Sayaka wielding a katana is revealed behind him. Ittō stands ominously still until he hears the sound of Sayaka dropping her sword; knowing that she can never defeat the master swordsman. Those who have seen Shogun Assassin will recognise this film and it will probably make more sense, especially without the American child narration. I would argue that it was far more enjoyable than the first installment, which is probably exactly why they made most of Shogun Assassin from it, but its better thanks to the context of the first film. Both are classics but its funny when no one ever mentions Lone Wolf and Cub: Baby Cart at the River Styx when talking about sequels that are better than the originals.