Lone Wolf and Cub: Original Films (1972-74)

Lone Wolf and Cub: Original Films (1972-74)

Dirs. Kenji Misumi [Films 1,2,3,5] / Buichi Saitô [Film 4] / Yoshiyuki Kuroda [Film 6]

Sometimes referred to as the 'Baby Cart' series, the six Lone Wolf and Cub films tell the story of a skilled ronin-for-hire named Ōgami Ittō, played by Tomisaburo Wakayama. When not dishing out vicious and bloody samurai action to the people that deserve it, Ittō wheels his young son Daigoro (Akihiro Tomikawa) from place to place in an iconic wooden baby cart.

Characterised by extreme violence, minimal dialogue, and highly stylised framing that closely resembles the manga they're based on, the films have a well-deserved place in Chanbara history.

The three-disc Criterion collection (pictured) contains the six original films on Blu-ray, restored at 2K from the OCNs. [1]

Discs 01 and 02 have three films apiece, while Disc 03 contains bonus features. Thoughts on each individual film can be found below the cut. Disc 03 also contains the English language dubbed Shogun Assassin (1980), which I'll cover at the end, for completeness sake. [2]

Daimajin: Film Trilogy (1966)

Daimajin (aka Majin): Film Trilogy (1966)

Dirs. Various (see below)

A kaijū trilogy produced by Daiei, which is the studio that gave us the original Gamera franchise. The 'Majin' features in all three films, but their stories are otherwise unconnected.

01. The first entry, Daimajin (1966); aka Majin / Majin, the Monster of Terror / Majin, the Hideous Idol [Dir. Kimiyoshi Yasuda], is an altogether more sophisticated breed of film than the big turtle got. It's a quality jidaigeki about clans, control, and a merciless militaristic coup. It's a male dominated tale, but the few women that do feature wield the kind of power that matters.

The creature is like a crushing force of nature or an angry god's retribution personified, punishing the evils of mankind. It takes a long time for its 'kaijū' aspect to appear onscreen, but in all probability you won't miss it because the drama that occupies the remainder of the running time is excellent and holds its own. It keeps colours naturalistic but still manages to look beautiful.