Kozure Ôkami: Meifumadô (1973)

Director:

Kenji Misumi

Writers:

Kazuo Koike (writer)
Tsutomu Nakamura (writer)

Release Date:

24 August 2005 (France)

Genre:

Action | Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

Once he agrees to kill, nothing can stand in his way.

Plot:

Fifth film in the Lone Wolf & Cub Series. 5 warriors challenge Ogami to duels. Each has 1/5th of Ogami's...

Plot Keywords:

Warrior | Based On Comic | Dark Hero | Samurai Warrior | Sword

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Tomisaburo Wakayama	...	Ogami Itto
Michiyo Ookusu	...	Shiranui (as Michiyo Yasuda)
Akihiro Tomikawa	...	Daigoro
Shingo Yamashiro	...	Lord Kurdoa Naritaka
Tomomi Sato	...	Quick Change Oyô
Akira Yamauchi	...	Ayabe Ukon, messenger #1
Hideji Ôtaki	...	Mogami Shusuke, messenger #2
Taketoshi Naitô	...	Mawatara Hachiro, messenger #3
Fujio Suga	...	Kikuchi Yamon, messenger #4
Rokko Toura	...	Sazare Kanbei, messenger #5
Yoshi Katô
Ritsu Ishiyama
Hiroshi Tanaka
Michima Otabe
Kôji Fujiyama	...	Tomekichi the moll

Also Known As:

Baby Cart at the River Styx (USA) (video title)
Baby Cart in the Land of Demons
Crossroads to Hell (literal English title)
Lone Wolf and Cub: Baby Cart in Land of Demons
Lone Wolf and Cub: Baby Cart in the Land of Demons (USA) (DVD title)
Shogun Assassin 4: Five Fistfuls of Gold (USA) (DVD box title)
Sword of Vengeance V

Runtime:

USA:89 min

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Certification:

Germany:18 | UK:18 | USA:Unrated | Australia:MA

Company:

Toho Company

Movie Connections:

Follows Kozure Ôkami: Sanzu no kawa no ubaguruma (1972)

Great action combined with impressive storytelling, best of the series

Even though all the festival-scenes are a sub-plot that adds little to nothing to the story, I find this an excellent film. The idea and the enactment of the five Samurai, each giving Ogami a part of his mission as their dying words, exemplifies the value of loyalty and truth above all. In all the Lone Wolf films honor is considered the highest value, and there is a continuous presence of morality throughout the series. In this film I was touched by the incredible loyalty of all the Samurais of the Kuroda clan. Even when on fire, fatally wounded or bleeding from every orifice, they still continue to serve their clan. In fact they care so much for their clan that they hire Ogami to kill their own, perverted masters, because their actions bring dishonor and great danger to the clan.

Story-wise certainly the most elaborate of the Lone Wolf films, I found this one to be the best.