Cheap Lone Wolf and Cub 2: Baby Cart at the River Styx (DVD) (Kenji Misumi) Price

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Customer Reviews of Lone Wolf and Cub 2: Baby Cart at the River Styx

Best of series
This is probably the best in the series, the level of <
>violence and nudity is somewhat toned down vs. the book and the resulting screenplay is more realistic. <
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>The note about 'Shogun Assasin': I didn't realize it before, but <
>Shogun Assasin is basically a compilation of the first movie <
>(Sword on Vengeance) and this one. The story line a slightly <
>different and it is narrated by Daigoro. <
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>If you have a choice, see the full version and see it on DVD. <
>I was amazed at the quality of the DVD release, the bonus material, while not extensive, is quite interesting as it includes the liner notes and various trailers.

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"My fee is $500 gold pieces."
After watching this movie, you will never want to experience an encounter with a female ninja. That poor gentleman who said he could make it out of the room with a single leap. What did Sayaka (head of the female Ninja's) say to the leader of the Kurokawa clan clan? <
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>"You dare call yourselves Shinobi?" <
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>I must say the Shogun Assassin version of this movie is better. The picture quality is far superior in Lone Wolf & Cub:Baby Cart at the River Styx. However, Ogami Itto almost never speaks in Shogun Assasin. Instead, Daigoro narrates the whole film. Listening to the child describe his relationship with his father, and their life in and out of villages, and the concepts of Ogami Itto's beliefs are awesome. That element in Shogun Assassin adds an element of super hero status to Ogami Itto's character. So I own both Shogun Assassin and Lone Wolf & Cub:Baby Cart at the River Styx. <
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>"The Whistling of Wintry Wind" <
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>Ogami Itto is paid his $500 gold pieces to assassinate a traitor who plans to sell his clan's secrets to the Shogunate. Of course the traitor has been assigned protection by the Shogunate. The traitor is to be guarded by the dreaded three "Gods of Death". One of which has a claw (similar to Wolverine), one has a club, and the third "God of Death" has gloves with nails where his knuckles would be. The scene where they throw the dart and nip the end of the guys nose on the boat is classic. <
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>"Who would have thought you'd throw it?" <
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>am a huge fan of the characters in the Lone Wolf and Cub series. Only the character Fong Sai Yuk in the martial arts movies matches the aura that goes along with the main character Itto Ogami. I am in the process of watching this whole series Lone Wolf & Cub:Baby Cart at the River Styx is a must have in your Samurai movie collection. Yes, I said Samurai movie collection, I believe there is a strong distinction between a martial arts movie and a Samurai movie, and I'll leave that argument for another day. This is very good, I would definitely recommend viewing Shogun Assassin first, then this film. <
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>Grade: A <
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Battling Blades bring Blood and Brutality
I wanna mention up front that though this is probably only a 4 star movie overall, action movie's are held to a lower standard in my book, and by those standards this is a 5. <
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>This movie's not big on plot, but I'll talk about it some anyway. In the first film, Sword of Vengeance, which I haven't actually seen, Ogami Itto, the Shoggunate assassin, is framed for treason and his wife is murdered by the Yagyu clan. Thus he is now a Ronin, and he and his young son Daigoro wander the country as assassins. In this film they are hired to assassinate some guy to prevent the Awa clan from losing their secret dye processing method, or something like that, while they are continually hunted by the Yagyu clan. The man they need to assassinate is being guarded by the 3 Gods of Death, who wield a spikey-fist, a mace-type thing and a claw hand, whom Ogami will need to defeat in the final showdown. <
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>The 2 protagonists are quite appealing. Ogami is your standard vengeance-seeking, morally dubious hero who is taciturn and isolated. Perhaps not the most original characterization in the world, but it's a good one none the less. And what can I say, Daigoro is a cute kid. Their relationship adds a greater emotional depth to the film, and not in the traditionally manipulative use of children in film. i.e. you sympathize with Ogami when Daigoro is in danger because Ogami is his father moreso than because Daigoro is a little kid. The villains are alright too, though they don't really do all that much other than fight. There's a bit of evil laughter on their part which seems a bit forced, but it's not to big a deal. Other than that the acting is generally more than competent, though it's harder to judge this sort of thing when you don't speak the languange. <
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>This film is beautifully shot, with lots of great outdoor locations. Lotsa nice long shots as well, which remind of Leone's westerns and accentuate the landscape too. The dune filled desert at the end is particularly stunning. Overall the film has great atmosphere.(The scenes where Ogami listens to the drums of the Kurokawa are especially atmospheric) The music is good enough if not remarkable. It suits the material, but nothing really jumps out at you. The action scenes are just great, as they ought to be in an action movie. These are nice, old fashioned actions scenes where you actually get to see what's going on, and the camera actually sits still. It's melee stuff, of course, but always with weapons. Though the fight at the end is good, the ones with the female Shinobi and Kurokawa in the forest are the best. This series is most famous for its extravagant, over the top gore, and it doesn't disappoint. Limbs fly, arteries spray 20 feet or more, faces are cut down the middle etc. The most notable scene comes early in the film where, a pack of female Shinobi slowly dismember their opponent, eventually leaving him a limbless and rather dead torso. Despite the stylized nature of the gore this film isn't camp. Though the gore is over the top, and some of the moves they use in battle can be a bit whacky, the film is very serious and professional otherwise, and always plays the material straight. <
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>Well, what else is there to say. It's got great action, which is all you need for an action movie, and some good atmosphere and cool characters to boot. Definitely worthwhile. <
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