Kozure Ôkami: Shinikazeni mukau ubaguruma (1972)

Director:

Kenji Misumi

Writers:

Kazuo Koike (story) and
Goseki Kojima (story) ...
(more)

Release Date:

April 1974 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Drama

Tagline:

Then they threw an army at him, and he threw it back... a piece at a time

Plot:

In the third film of the Lone Wolf and Cub series, Ogami Itto volunteers to be tortured by Yakuza to save a prostitute...

Plot Keywords:

Violence | Violent Movie | Good Versus Evil | Based On Comic | Decapitation

Cast

Tomisaburo Wakayama	...	Ogami Itto
Go Kato	...	Magomura Kanbei
Yuko Hamada	...	Torizo
Isao Yamagata	...	Endo Genba
Michitaro Mizushima	...	Asada Junai
Ichirô Nakaya
Akihiro Tomikawa	...	Daigoro
Sayoko Kato
Jun Hamamura	...	Miura Tatewaki
Daigo Kusano
Toshiya Wazaki
Hiroshi Nawa
Sakai Umezu
Saburo Date	...	Swift-style swordsman
Hatsuo Yamatani
Kazuma Otabe
Yukio Horikita
Toru Yamaguchi
Tadashi Iwata
Daisuke Shiraha
Katsutoshi Akiyama
Shingo Ibuki
Naoki Ando
Takako Ashizawa
Daisuke Awachia
Masaru Shiga
Fumio Terauchi
Mayoko Kikuno
Katsuyoshi Baba
Kiroko Arakawa

Directed by
Kenji Misumi

Writing credits
Kazuo Koike		(story) and
Goseki Kojima		(story)
Kazuo Koike		(writer)

Produced by
Shintarô Katsu	....	producer
Hisaharu Matsubara	....	producer

Original Music by
Hiroshi Kamayatsu
Hideaki Sakurai

Cinematography by
Chishi Makiura

Film Editing by
Toshio Taniguchi

Art Direction by
Yoshinobu Nishioka

Makeup Department
Toshio Tanaka	....	makeup artist
Hideo Yumoto	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Toyohiko Inagaki	....	production manager

Art Department
Kazuo Maki	....	property master

Sound Department
Tsuchitaro Hayashi	....	sound recordist
Yoo Kurajima	....	sound effects

Camera and Electrical Department
Miwa Horishi	....	lighting technician
Terutaka Suzuku	....	still photographer

Music Department
Masahiko Aoi	....	music arranger
Tomisaburo Wakayama	....	music performer: title song

Other crew
Eiichi Kusumoto	....	fight choreographer
Mitsuko Matsuda	....	script supervisor

Production Companies

• Katsu Production Co. Ltd.
• Toho Company

Distributors

• Toho Company (1972) (Japan) (theatrical)
• Columbia Pictures (1973) (USA) (theatrical) (dubbed)
• Columbia-Warner Distributors (1974) (UK) (theatrical)
• JA Video (1996) (USA) (VHS) (dubbed)
• AnimEigo (1997) (USA) (DVD)
• Central Park Media Corporation (I) (II) (1997) (USA) (VHS)
• Madman Entertainment (2005) (Australia) (DVD)

Special Effects

• Shishido Taizen Group

Also Known As:

Baby Cart (USA)
Baby Cart in Hades
Lend a Child (USA)
Lend an Army (USA)
Lightning Swords of Death (USA) (new title)
Lone Wolf and Cub: Baby Cart to Hades (USA)
Lone Wolf and Cub: Perambulator Against the Winds of Death (literal English title)
Lupine Wolf (USA) (video title)
Shogun Assassin 2: Lightning Swords of Death (USA) (DVD title)
Sword of Vengeance, Part III

Runtime:

89 min | USA:83 min (edited version)

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

UK:X (original rating) (1974) | Germany:18 | Australia:MA | UK:18 | USA:R | USA:Unrated (special edition) | Australia:R (original rating)

Company:

Katsu Production Co. Ltd.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003)

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!