Lone Wolf and Child: Assassin on the Road to Hell (1989)

LWaC: Assassin on the Road to Hell (1989)

Dir. Tokuzô Tanaka

Tanaka's film attempts to tell the entire Lone Wolf and Cub story in just 140 minutes, which is an insane undertaking. Nevertheless, it's a valiant attempt and an enjoyable evening's viewing for samurai fans.

Hideki Takahashi stars as the Shogun's one-time executioner, Ogami Ittō. He does a damned good job at it, able to show compassion when the situation calls for it, but just the right amount because too much might compromise his stoic attitude. He's also deft enough with the dōtanuki to be believable.

Young Daigoro is played by Koji Aeba. It's a wholly subjective view, but for me young kids in Japanese films tend to be much less irritating than young kids are in most American films. Daigoro isn't just a third wheel in the Lone Wolf story, or some kind of amusing gimmick, he's an integral part of the tale and, thankfully, while Koji was likely too young to understand the importance of what he was asked to do onscreen, he at least carried it without fault and without ever being irritating. GJ, kid.

In a strange but welcome role reversal, Tomisaburo Wakayama dons the eyebrows to play the treacherous Retsudo Yagyū. If you're not already aware, Wakayama originally played Ogami in a series of six films in the space of just sixteen months (April '72 - August '73) and Retsudo Yagyū is Ogami's most notable nemesis. It's ironic that Wakayama's Ogami didn't get to finish his cinematic journey, and in Assassin on the Road to Hell he's helping someone else do just that.

If all of that wasn't interesting enough, it also has Meiko Kaji in a secondary role as yakuza boss Kioroshi no Torizo. The script understands that even though secondary characters only get a brief time onscreen, that doesn't mean the tragedy attached to them need be weakened. As such, Torizo gets her own mini-story that gives her extra depth.

- Original Japanese title: Kozure Okami: Meifumado no Shikaku-nin -

The limited running time means some compromises were made, including at least one significant change to the original story, but otherwise it packs in a ton of good stuff. Mostly, though, it revolves around the Yagyū letter arc from Kazuo Koike's original manga.

Keeping in mind that it's a TV Movie with a TV budget, and judging it as such, it's a worthy addition to an existing Lone Wolf and Cub fan's shelf. If you're new to the story, however, the original film series (see HERE) is still perhaps the better, if lengthier, introduction.