A wandering ronin and his small child travel through
Japan, enduring various adventures along the way. ACTION
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Lone Wolf and Cub:
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Lone Wolf and Cub is a series consisting of six films and Sword of Vengeance is a powerful start that has me intrigued by what follows. All six films are based on the manga series of the same name and all of the films came out within a two year span which is normal for Japanese cinema due to the lack of production companies having any say in the creative process. They were all written by Kazuo Koike and Kenji Misumi directed four out of the six films. The first one is a high octane adventure that definitely isn’t for everyone because of its brutal violence.
Ogami Itto is a former executioner and the father of a three year old boy named Daigoro. He often has visions of his dead wife who was killed by three ninjas in a complicated framing job. Itto becomes an assassin for hire, taking jobs here and there with his wicked sword skills and pushing Daigoro in a cart as they travel. Itto takes a job from a Chamberlain in which he is supposed to kill an entire rival gang. He and Daigoro set out for a suicide-like mission where they are forced to challenge themselves physically and mentally in extremely dangerous scenarios. The stunts in Sword of Vengeance are fucking awesome and every performance sticks the landing. Tomisaburô Wakayama is unforgettable as Itto and he’s the main reason I’m going to check out the rest of the series. I want to know what happens next for him and his son which is a simple thing to think about, but then I remember how many lead action characters seem so phony. Itto is far from phony and that must have something to do with Kazuo Koike’s source material. I really want to see the next five films but I also want to read the manga series. Kenji Misumi and Koike created a world of Chambara films containing some of the most badass sword fights I’ve ever laid my eyes on. |