With the Criterion Collection boxset of Lone Wolf And Cub beckoning me back on the demon path to hell, it was time to continue with the fourth entry, Baby Cart In Peril (1972). Being in the back half of the series, there were definitely sequences where I was like, this feels familiar, have they done this scene before? But, despite the repetitiveness, I was still entertained. I mean, I can watch scenes of Tomisaburō Wakayama as Ogami Itto, surly and scowling, lay waste to multitudes of samurai and turn them into fountains spraying red paint, all the live long day. Here, Ogami and his child son, Daigoro, are immediately tasked with assassinating a tattoed woman, Oyuki (Michi Azuma), who is sending members of a clan back as topknotless corpses, ultimate disrespect. In between all of the flashbacks explaining Oyuki’s deal and more, this film also features another clan made up of street performers and actors, a petulant swordsman who has history with Ogami, and lots of scenes where very unwise dudes attempt to step up to Ogami only to become filleted into fertiliser. There were some great scenes here, such as when Daigoro wanders off and is lost in the rain, soundtracked with a melancholic musical number, or when parent and child are reunited and I was completely cheering from the couch with Ogami’s fatherly protection. Then you’ve got the climax, which resembles the climax to the last one (Baby Cart In Hades) where basically Lone Wolf And Cub massacre an entire army in a rock pit, though they give it a twist with Ogami pulling a First Blood and bumping fools one by one in between a giant rock maze. Taking it to another level is the funky music score by Hideaki Sakurai. Directed by Buchi Saito, changing it up from previous director Kenji Misumi (who had made the first three); this was Saito’s only entry in the series but he does a good job here. Did I mention there’s a flaming sword at one point? Recommended.
VHS Tracking 