Kozure Okami: Jigoku e ikuzo! Daigorô

Plot synopsis:
As the opening credits roll, an abbreviated version of Ogami Ittō's (Tomisaburô Wakayama) past as Shogunate Decapitator and his wife's murder by ninja are seen, with Daigorō (Akihiro Tomikawa) providing the narration.
Two hooded samurai attack Ogami while he is pushing a cart with 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 (Taketoshi Naitô) 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 (Kayo Matsuo) receives orders from the Shogun to kill Ogami and Daigorō. Lord Kurogawa (Akiji Kobayashi) doesn't believe the Supreme Ninja's women are up to the task, so she proves otherwise by ordering her ninja's 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 along 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".

Tags: good versus evil, paranormal, violence

Review:
The end of quite possibly, the best samurai saga ever..
The Lone Wolf and Cub or "Babycart" series of movies are a joy to watch.
There's never a dull moment during Ogami and Diagoro's travels across the land they call "hell".White Heaven in Hell is the last installment to a great series.
Ogami must face what's left of the Yagyu Clan including Lord Retsudo.
Ogami must kill them all to avenge Azami's (Ogami's wife) death.This movie displays some great choreography (as always) Tomisaburo Wakayama is that good with the sword I sometimes tend to believe the guy is a real "masterless samurai".
Although some of the fight scenes are a little confusing (the fight with the girl and the throwing daggers) on a whole this movie displays jaw-dropping sword fights...including an amusing final showdown battle in the snow.And as usual, the movie displays some weird techniques of eradicating others...including daggers through the head, and even a rocket launcher!
But it works...in a weird kind of way,In my opinion, Tomisaburo Wakayama is certainly up there with the likes of Toshiro Mifune...if better.The end of what's possibly the best samurai saga ever.8/10.
The sixth and last of the "Lone Wolf and Cub/Baby Cart" series of films shows how artistically well-done films can make even the most ludicrous ideas work.
During Ogami Itto's journey to the final showdown with his arch-enemy Retsudo, leader of the evil Yagyu clan, we witness everything from incest bordering on necrophilia, zombie samurai who can burrow in the ground like worms, the usual assortment of mutilations, a battle on snow skis, and the most elaborate baby cart weaponry yet--including automatic armor plating!
I was really looking forward to seeing WHITE HEAVEN IN HELL, the conclusion of the six-part LONE WOLF & CUB series of films charting the misadventures of Itto Ogami and his son Daigoro as they travel the violent landscapes of feudal Japan.
Earlier films in the series – especially my favourite, the second one – have been excellent, so I was enthused to see how they finished the long-running storyline off.
The bad news is that they don't; this was never intended to be the last film in the series, so things just close on a cliffhanger that was never followed up.
I won't pretend that I'm not disappointed.There's both good news and bad news for fans of this series.
So there's plenty of villainous plotting, scenes of Daigoro being the lad we all know and love, and Ogami taking down numerous opponents without breaking much of a sweat.
The villains are hissable, Ogami is effortlessly cool, and by now we all know what's going to happen come the end.Yet the familiarity of this film's plot is also its downfall.
The expert direction and effortless atmosphere of the earlier films is missing, and I couldn't help but feel that things were getting a little run-of-the-mill this time around.
I like crazy stuff in films, so I was pleased to see the presence of the undead here, and some elements of horror mixed into the narrative, but it's never fully capitalised upon.
And the ending is a real let-down, an icy encounter between our feared hero and an army of skiing enemies; it's neither particularly gory nor exciting, instead coming across as rather silly.
If you sit back and remember the triumphant, eye-popping ending of BABY CART AT THE RIVER STYX and compare it with what's on offer here, it's a real disappointment.
And although they never did close that storyline, I'm kind of glad that things ended with this film.
I can only feel they would have otherwise run this series into the ground eventually..
A worthy end to a great samurai series.
Honestly, I think that the Lone Wolf and Cub series is the greatest samurai series ever.
Although some of the events are, ahem, not the most plausible things in the world, the journeys of Ogami Itto and Daigoro are fascinating to watch.
Actually, the perfection of the direction and cinematography makes even a machine gunning baby cart seem perfectly normal.
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.
There were moments in the "Babycart" series where you'd swear he was the personification of his namesake, the Wolf.
Alas, Lone Wolf is one with void now, but his legend will live on forever in these films.
And CERTAINLY forget any American martial artists that you could care to name.
The final chapter in Ogami Ittō's quest for vengeance against the scheming clan that murdered his wife, ousted him from honorable life and tirelessly hounded him at every turn.
Ittō single-handedly dispatches close to 150 armed men, high in the cinematic record-books, with dozens of assists from his young son via their gimmicked baby cart.
That's been a trademark of the series: establish a wild cast of colorful, weird supporting players/rivals and then take turns dispensing with them in swift, decisive swordfights.
One would think this might lead to fatigue, both in the audience and the creative room, but the well never seems to run dry and those abrupt, almost anticlimactic duels give the films a distinct, intense physical identity.
A new director and a fresh setting also delivers a newer, more refined look and feel to this film.
It's the best-shot entry in the series, no doubt, but also one of the most compelling stories.
Where the Lone Wolf has thus far operated with relative impunity, negotiating with his blade, this last set of foes turn the tables by ruthlessly executing each innocent native he encounters.
Occasionally it carries things a bit too far - the mystical enemies who effectively swim through dirt are a major reach - but despite those eccentricities I consider this the best of the six films.
The only thing it's missing is any sort of conclusion: we reach the very brink of a final duel and the foil merely disappears over the horizon, licking the wounds of his army and vowing to fight another day.
Luckily the series ends with a blast..
In all honesty and objectivity I need to say that this is probably the least movie out of the entire series.
Having said that, it's still a great movie, that is highly entertaining.
Which should tell you something about the rest of the series, saying that this one is the worst.It's the sixth and final movie out of the Kozure Ôkami movie series, that were released between 1972 and 1974.
All of the movies are pretty much the same in terms of its style and approach of the stories and characters.
Only "Kozure Ôkami: Oya no kokoro ko no kokoro" is slightly different and more western like because it had a different director at the helm than the other movies.
Luckily the final fight truly compensates a lot.I can say the end fight in this movie is my favorite one out of the entire series.
In that regard this movie really does not disappoint and it's a worthy last outing for Ogami Itto and his infant son Daigoro, that really isn't that much in this movie, probably due to the fact that he was getting a bit too old and big by now for his role.Ogami Itto shows some new tricks again in this movie and the baby cart is more heavily armed than ever before.
I don't think this is the movie out of the series with the highest body counts but it's still really up there though.
You have to like and appreciate this style of Japanese movie-making, that is more manga like than anything else really, in order to fully appreciate this movie series.
When you do, this is like one of the most entertaining and also best movie series to watch out there.8/10http://bobafett1138.blogspot.com/.
This final episode of the six Lone Wolf and Cub series is a mixed bag, though continually entertaining, with the expected quota of sword fights, ninja attacks, and all-out battles - here captured in the the rival Yagyu faction's attempt to push the Lone Wolf to despair the body count that follows him.The extravagant violence that follows isn't so much realistic (with its blood that looks like paint, and shoestring foley work) as it is a Downhill Racer with samurai swords, the Baby Cart equipped with machine guns, cannons, and an assembly of spears.
The most appealing aspect of this series (and this movie) derives from its bleak depiction of a world of honorable bad guys and just plain bad guys.
The final sequence, which pits our hero against swordsmen wearing skis, is kind of campy, but that's all part of the mystique of this series.
Certainly the prettiest of the Lone Wolf and cub films....and a bit like Lone Wolf meets James Bond!.
It also had a much grander--more wide-open sort of look to it--with, oddly, a scene of Itto and his young son skiing!!!!
Then, as the film unfolds, the music is also very nice--again, with a lovely artistic flair.
Truly this is the best looking of the Lone Wolf films.The scene switches to the head of the evil Yagyu clan (Retsudo) ).
Apparently now it is only he and his daughter who are left--Ogami Itto has killed the rest.
The Yagyu boss begs to have one final chance and the scene then switches to a very impressive and sick scene--showing this killing machine daughter (Kaori) practicing her knife techniques.
The old man coaches her as very methodically she kills three men--burying blades deed into their skulls.
Now here's where it gets really weird...in the next scene he is officiating some sort of zombie resurrection scene.
Wow...and I thought Itto's anachronistic machine guns in the stroller were weird!
Things now really heat up for Itto, as everywhere he goes, anyone who helps him in any way is brutally killed by Hyoei and his Tsuchigumo Tribesmen.
They are definitely much more formidable than his half-sister and it sure looks as if Itto will die at Hyoei's hand...and soon.
However, Hyoei fails when he he is goaded by Itto to fight him as a samurai...and when Hyoei tries to rape his sister (ewwww--why is there ALWAYS rape in the Lone Wolf films and with his sister yet!) to continue his family line, Retsudo kills him and his sister in the act.
He then tries to assume command of the Tsuchigumo--who refuse and wish to destroy Itto on their own--using their magical and mysterious ways.By now, Itto and his son have high into the snowy mountains--a hint of this was seen at the beginning of the film.
But they are zombie-like magical beings and so things once again look very bad for Itto the killing machine.
Fortunately, Q from the James Bond movies must have invented his baby stroller, as it helps him in this jam---which leads to a snow ski fight somewhat reminiscent of a Bond snow scene.
However, when Retsudo turns up with his own tricked out Q-inspired baby carriage-like machine, all attempts at realism are out the window...it's truly Bond Time in the 19th century--or should I say "Wild, Wild West" time?!!!
I would have to say that this is DEFINITELY the most ridiculous Lone Wolf movie and, at the same time, the most exciting to watch.
It's something you just have to see.By the way, this is the last Lone Wolf film--even though "Shogun Assassin" was released in 1980.
This series ends with a bang.
The vengeful Retsudo (a deliciously venomous portrayal by Minoru Oki) assigns his lethal only remaining daughter Kaori (lovely Junko Hitomi) to kill Ogami (the redoubtable Tomisaburo Wakayama) and his son Daigoro (adorable Akihiro Tomikawa).
When Kaori fails to accomplish her mission, three deceased warriors are resurrected to take care of both Ogami and Daigoro once and for all.
Director Yoshiyuki Kuroda and writer Tsutoma Nakamura totally go for broke with this enjoyably outrageous final entry in the series: This time we've got an astronomical triple digit body count, oodles of hysterically gory blood-spraying violence, a grim take-no-prisoners tone (innocent folks who help out Ogami and son all meet brutal untimely fates), striking widescreen cinematography, a cool supernatural bent, several neat gimmicks (the baby cart is equipped with a gatling gun!), a funky-grooving score that sounds like it belongs more in a 70's blaxploitation flick, and, best of all, a wild pull-out-all-the-stops epic climatic battle sequence set on a snow swept mountain in which Ogami takes out over a hundred opponents.
Kozure ôkami Samurai without a master or lord..
October 1 for all who made possible a series of such magnitude, and for whom we know some traditional Japanese martial arts, a true reflection of techniques and movements of Budo,.
The Beautifully Blood-Drenched Finale To The Brilliant Cycle.
"Lone Wolf And Cub: White Heaven In Hell" of 1974 is the sixth and (sadly) final installment to the brilliant Ôkami-cycle starring the great Tomisaburo Wakayama as Ogami Itto, my personal choice for the greatest (anti-)hero character in the history of moving images.
While the finale is, not my favorite in the cycle (actually, it is my least favorite of the six), it is nonetheless a brilliant movie that no fan of Chambara or Japanese film in general could possibly afford to miss.
The entire "Kozure Okami" cycle ranks high on my personal all-time favorite list and even my least favorite parts, the third and this one, get the highest possible rating of 10 out of 10 from me.
This last Ôkami film is essential to Japanese cinema fans for a variety of reasons: First off, the entire cycle is essential to Chambara fans, and all true cineastes in general.
This last part is also unique in a very particular way: Believe it or not, "White Heaven In Hell" is THE film with the highest on screen-body-count caused by a single person in motion picture history.
The Ôkami films are all (very stylishly) ultra-violent and blood-soaked and from the third Ôkami film onward, the films always had ultra-bloody battles in the end, in which Ogami Itto single-handedly (or, more precisely, with help of his son Daigoro) wipes out entire armies of enemies.
This last part is the most extreme in this regard, as Ogami Itto kills 104 people in the final showdown alone.The Ôkami films are brilliant in all regards, be it the immensely stylish bloodshed, the brilliant characters, the impressive cinematography or beautiful Japanese settings.
My arguably favorite aspect, however, is probably the father-son relationship between Ogami Itto and his son Daigoro (Akihiro Tomikawa).
Working as an assassin, Ogami Itto, former Kaishakunin (highest executioner) of the Shogunate, travels through feudal Japan with his infant son Daigoro, in order to clear his name and avenge his wife's death.
Throughout the cycle, Daigoro, who is a baby in the first film, grows, and his upbringing and the father-son relationship are unique and strangely heart-warming.
Daigoro, who often engages actively in his father's fights, hardly sits in his baby cart any more in the later films, but he still uses the ingeniously modified cart in battle.
Shortly spoken: Ogami Itto is the greatest (anti-)hero character ever, and Daigoro is the most brilliant sidekick-character in cinematic history.
American Director Robert Houston made an absolutely unnecessary dubbed re-cut of the first two Ôkami films under the title "Shogun Assassin".
The original Ôkami-films are entirely brilliant, the entire cycle ranks among my favorite films of all-time, and each part has its particular magic.
Even the slightly lesser parts (the third one and this finale) are masterpieces that any lover of Chambara in particular, or Japanese cinema, Exploitation, Martial-Arts, or just movies in general should love.
My advice: If you don't know them yet, get all six "Lone Wolf And Cub" films, and watch them NOW!.
Final episode of the Lone Wolf...I miss a sequel..
The last of the Lone Wolf films, it tries to tie up some loose ends by killing more of the Yagyu family, but Ogami's adventures could continue after this movie: Retsudo, his arch-enemy, still lives and I wish they made at least a seventh film to finish him off.
Even after all this killing, men are still willing to attack Ogami, even though he must have killed hundreds, if not thousands of Samurai by now.
One clan even sends a sort of zombies after him, and it takes some wit to finally destroy them.
In the end there comes another great standoff between him and the remaining forces of the Yagyu-clan, a visual feast of sword-fighting on a snow-covered mountain.
Great action all in all, even if the story isn't as elaborate as in some other Lone Wolf films..
6th And Final Installment In The Legendary BABY CART Series.
This is the last episode of the BABY CART series, which centers around a father-and-son assassin duo who are out to destroy the Yagyu clan who betrayed them in the first installment of the series.This one has more of the usual inventive battles, including a fight with zombie-type ninjas, and a great end battle on skis through snow-covered mountains.This one didn't quite end the way I thought, and left itself open for another installment that never came.
Regardless, this is yet another solid entry in this excellent series, and a fitting end to a legendary set of films.
I highly recommend the whole series for anyone who's into martial arts or pinky-violence films.
The next opponent advances, and the pretty lady plays with her knives like a juggler, until flinging one up that....
plunges a knife in the top of her opponent's skull.I wonder if this martial arts school's brochure says anything about the reason for the school's low matriculation rate.
The film's first scene is one which you either have to laugh at or get angry over for the sheer stupidity of its wallow in violence.
just before ejecting the DVD and looking for something more suitable.I can't recommend this film.