Kozure Ôkami: Oya no kokoro ko no kokoro
Tags: good versus evil, violence

Plot synopsis:
In this fourth 'Lone Wolf and Baby Cart' movie we are introduced to Oyuki, a tattooed female assassin and the renegade member of a daimyo's personal bodyguard detail who is 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 kintar 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 Itto, the disgraced former shogun's executioner, or Kogi Kaishakunin, is 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, Itto'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 Yagyu, are never far away. A procession of them, accompanied by the sound of gongs and loud shrieks, sends Daigoro into hiding. Itto 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. Just then, Itto comes into the picture, and the two recognize each other. The man, it turns out is Gunbei Yagyu, the outcast son of Retsudo Yagyu (from the first 'Lone Wolf' movie). 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 overzealousness, he ends up pointing his sword at the shogun a taboo movement that costs him the job and makes him an outcast.Itto and Gunbei now have a rematch, but Itto is much improved and is ready for Gunbei. With a swift stroke, he chops off Gunbei's right arm. Gunbei then begs Itto to kill him, but Itto 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 Itto.Itto finally locates Oyuki at a hot spring and witnesses her in action against more vassals who have come to try and kill her. Then her arch 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, Itto and Oyuki must duel, and he makes quick work of her. She dies a splendid death, as Itto says, without having to disrobe.Retsudo Yagyu, meanwhile, has been playing politics. He manipulates a local daimyo into bringing in Itto, but Itto is able to use the baby cart and its weapons to escape from the daimyo's palace and take the man hostage. As Itto is leaving the area with the daimyo along for safety, he is attacked by the Yagyu. The daimyo is killed by some musketeers and Itto goes headlong into battle, telling his son Daigoro that he is entering the "crossroads to hell." It is a fierce battle, ending with Itto and Retsudo in combat. They trade blows Retsudo gets a blade in his right eye and Itto a sword in his back. Itto 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, Itto 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 Itto live to fight another day.

Review: The Shogun's executioner vs.
an army of evil.
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..
Phenomenal.
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..
Tomisaburo Wakayama is simply without equal..
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.
The command and authority with which he wielded a sword (and other weapons) was just phenomenal.
The blade truly was an extension of himself, and his use of it was the definition of lethal, with none of the unnecessary/show-off flourishes so desperately thrown about by today's wannabes.
He had incredible presence and charisma- easily on a par with the likes of say Eastwood or Bronson- with eyes that reflected pure death, and the desolation in his soul.
There were moments in the "Babycart" series where you'd swear he was the personification of his namesake, the Wolf.
You never doubted for one second that he WAS shogun executioner, masterless samurai, assassin for hire.
One look at him in action, and you could readily understand why his enemies trembled at the mention of his name, and ran from him in sheer terror.
Alas, Lone Wolf is one with void now, but his legend will live on forever in these films.
Forget Toshiro Mifune.
Forget Takakura Ken. Forget Sonny Chiba.
Forget Bruce  Lee, Jackie Chan, Jet Li, Donnie Yen, and any of those wire-reliant ballet dancers from Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon.
And CERTAINLY forget any American martial artists that you could care to name.
Tomisaburo Wakayama was, is, and forever shall be, THE MAN!.
A particularly good babycart.
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.
Renewed Focus, Continued Excellence.
After spending a few movies on the lam, picking up odd jobs and dispatching would-be assassins, wandering ronin Ogami Ittō gets back to the business of stalking his real enemy: Retsudo Yagyū, who dishonored Ogami's name and orchestrated his wife's murder.
The two finally cross swords this time (with consequences for both), but not before Ittō deals with a disgraced, grudge-bearing former rival, a femme fatale with curious tattoos, a corrupt local official (complete with his own private army) and a host of explosive-lobbing foot soldiers.
And, for once, the harsh lifestyle has taken a toll on our swordsman: the lone wolf that stumbles away from the battlefield at the end of this film is a far cry from the one who stoically, almost carelessly, dealt with blade-flinging challengers at its onset.
Stuffed with fascinating, well-rounded new characters, unique fight scenes, badass acts of heroism and gallons of bright red spray, it's incredible that the final running time comes in just short of ninety minutes.
Feels like there's enough depth, and enough story, to have stretched for twice as long..
A great samurai film, not for the uninitiated.
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..
I love what Buichi Saito added to the series..
I don't know the history behind it but it seems quite odd that for this movie they picked a new director, Buichi Saito, while the first till third movie got all directed by Kenji Misumi, as did the following fifth movie.
Perhaps it had something to do with his health, since Kenji Misumi died quite young, in 1975.
But whatever the reasons were, it's a choice that worked out great for this particular movie.
Its definitely a change of style.
It's a more snappy a fast going movie than any of its predecessors.
It's edited greatly and also has some nice little tricks in it.
The movie is more Hollywood like and less Japanese like, if you will.
This is not always a good thing but for this particular movie, its concept and story, it does work out well.Its fight sequences are often spectacular, though they are also certainly less bloody than was still the case in the previous movies.
Its faster editing and camera-work and fresh style of directing keeps it all great to watch.
It also all helps to make the movie incredibly entertaining to watch.I also liked how this movie handled the lone wolf and cub relationship.
The whole father son relationship plays quite an essential role within this movie, more so than ever had been the case in the previous movies.
It makes the movie quite 'cute' and also emotionally stronger.
It also seems like Tomisaburo Wakayama's acting is stronger than ever before.
In all of the previous movies he was mostly exchanging hard long looks with his foes but in this movie he seems to have more lines and also shows more emotions and expressions in his face.Another thing that keeps playing an essential role within this movie are its wonderful looking environments.
The natural environments are great and this movie takes us to some wonderful places, to all add to the movie its adventurous feeling.Such perfect fun to watch!9/10http://bobafett1138.blogspot.com/.
Whirling death with amazing cinematography.
This movie is the four in the series and continues the exploits of Ogami Itto and son as they continue there quest for vengeance against Lord Retsudo.
Hired to kill Oyuki (deadly female martial artist) for his standard 500 gold pieces, this movie follows the by now normal storyline of flying ninjas, one on one sword duels and mass army destruction that would put a John Woo movie to shame, throw in the vast amount of blood and this movie is a classic within the series.
These things in themselves do add to the overall plot and character development within the movie and that the cinematography helps to places with in the action right from the start (although some slight lighting problems do occur).
The similarities between this movie and certain spaghetti westerns (Fist Full Of Dollars) is unmistakable.
Overall a must see for both fans of martial arts and western movies..
A turning point in the series.
I enjoyed each Lone Wolf and Cub installment the same way I enjoyed every mindless action flick but Baby Cart in Peril the fourth installment of the series stand out the most for me when this one got a good storyline disguise in a genetic plot.At first it still the usual Itto Ogami an assassin for hire with his toddler Daigoro travel across Japan eliminate ninja and samurai from their rival but this time the movie show the real reason why Itto got to the point of he is right now with a lot of emotions.Although his undisputed skill in swordsmanship and the cunning nature of a lone wolf help him through most of the fight in this movie I still think Itto will die in this movie if I don't know after this there will be two more sequels because Baby Cart in Peril got the hardest final battle he had ever encountered so far.
Return to form.
I saw the dubbed Shogun Assassin and was hooked.
This film has more content than the 3rd in the series.
The acting and character development are superb and I can't wait to check out the next installment.
The father son relationship is what marks these movies out plus the fearsome babycart..
Another Ôkami Masterpiece!.
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!
More of the same but a bit talkier and with a bit more confusing plot than the last few..
Wow, they sure cranked out the Lone Wolf and Cub films--this is the fourth one and all were made in about a one year period.
This one is very similar to the rest and includes the usual rape scene (why this has been in all of the films so far is beyond me--and a bit disturbing), tons of violence and blood (especially for 1972) and exceptional action.
However, I think this installment is a bit talkier (actually A LOT talkier) and has a more confusing plot than the previous three.
Now this is not to say it's a bad film--I just think it's a bit weaker because it was a bit tough to follow who was being killed and why.
Also it is different in that I might term this one the 'severed limb' episode, as there are more arms and legs chopped off than ever before--and the exact number is staggering.
There is only one problem--in a few cases you can pretty clearly see the actors hiding the real limbs inside the robes.
But, in the funniest and sickest scene in the film, I laughed out loud as our anti-hero fights a group of gray ninjas and dismembers them all.
Then, as these guys are writhing about, one is crawling after Itto and begins trying to chew on him!!
Talk about tenacious!!
A good but far from great installment..
Return of the Blood spray and omniscient narration absent from third installment.
Beautiful female assassin Oyuki abandons the Owari Domain, killing any pursuers and slicing off their top-knots.
Many families of the fallen soldiers have been ordered to commit seppuku and seek revenge on Oyuki.Lone Wolf investigates the mysterious woman's whereabouts to her tattoo parlor and her father's circus home.
He learns she holds a vendetta against a samurai who violated her inside the Owari house.
She chops off top-knots to lure him out of hiding.
Lord Retsudo makes his return when he teams up with Owari to take down Lone Wolf.
A Samurai of Lone Wolf's past makes a guest duel appearance aswell - the true victor i their intial duel for Shogunate Executioner..
Enjoyable down'n'dirty entry.
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..
Part 4 In The Excellent BABY CART Series....
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