Leofwine_draca
The indefatigable Itto Ogami continues his journey through feudal Japan with his son in tow. BABY CART IN THE LAND OF DEMONS is the fifth in the six-film series and for the first time, the film shows signs of flagging. It's not that I didn't enjoy this movie, because I did; rather, I started to find the plot shenanigans to be ever-so-slightly familiar, if not a little tired. Much of what goes on in the film has been seen before, and although the action sequences are as vivid as ever, there's little here that hasn't been done previously (and better).As per usual, Ogami finds himself caught up in plotting between various factions and must form political allegiances to see him through. The opening of the film sees him tackling a series of martial arts masters, all of whom test him unawares to make sure he's worthy of the job. The plot then takes a lengthy and slightly pointless detour to a market village where Daigoro is accused of helping a pickpocket conduct her business. Although this sequence has been incorporated to allow greater characterisation of Ogami's son, I found it dragged the pacing down to crawling speed.Thankfully, things pick up for a relatively exciting climax which sees Ogami finishing off his job. There's still a great deal of entertainment value from watching the various characters occupying different positions in Japanese society at this time and how they react to our hero. The cast give understated performances and the action is typically well shot, but I'm actually looking forward to the end of this series now: better to end on a high than dragging it into the ground.
Boba_Fett1138
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.9/10http://bobafett1138.blogspot.com/
masercot
I've seen most of the other Lone Wolf and Cub movies. I've been happy with all of them except for this one.The martial arts sequences are excellent. The acting is great; however, this movie drove home an important point about film-making: If the plot is incomprehensible, the movie is lost on the viewer.Why did he listen to those he listened to and kill those he killed? He was supposed to be saving a particular clan, but ended up pretty much wiping it out. In the end, people kill themselves with no explanation and Lone Wolf walks away with his cub...Part of the problem with my understanding might have been that this movie, unless the others that I own, was dubbed. It might have been over simplified...
nkingstown3
This one seems quite popular among viewers, but I didn't really care for it. "Peril" and "Hades" are by far the best in my opinion. I find it odd that the messengers are able to give Ogami the full extent of their plight just before dying (even when being consumed by fire). One plus is his display at the end of the movie. He's got that sword moving so quick you can hardly see it. Another aspect I found interesting was when Daigoro was beaten to save a pickpocket. He seems to share his father's empathy for the down-and-out. Don't get me wrong, this isn't a bad movie. But in this great series, I think this one and "White Heaven in Hell" are the weakest.
AD
