The final entry of the series, Lone Wolf And Cub: White Heaven In Hell (1974) has a great opening sequence of samurai assassin Ogami Itto (Tomisaburo Wakayama) and his son Daigoro (Akihiro Tomikaway) using the baby cart as a sled through a snowy landscape, backed by musician Kunihiko Murai turning in a very funky instrumental number, reminiscent of the ‘Theme to Shaft’. As a viewer, I have reached the end of the demon path to hell that Ogami and his son walk due to the Yagyu clan – led by the ghostly one-eyed Lord Yagyu Retsudo (Minoru Oki) who killed Ogami’s wife and helped eject Ogami from his position as Shogun’s executioner. I had already heard that – spoiler – this final chapter is slightly anti-climactic.
With Ogami and his son laying waste to a hundred or so samurai and counter-assassins through the last five movies, Lord Retsudo has had enough, and sends his knife-wielding daughter Kaori (Junko Hitomi) to settle the score. When that doesn’t work out, Retsudo looks into less immediate family members, specifically his “bastard” son Hyouei (Isao Kimura) who lives in the mountains with the Tsuchigumo clan who can dig into the ground like mole people and resurrect their best warriors after burying them for forty days. White Heaven In Hell, directed by Yoshiyuki Kuroda, bears the distinction of being quite surreal and strange, bringing in elements of gothic horror and ghostly imagery throughout, marking it as an unusual, striking entry; whether it is the pointy hats of the Tsuchigumo clan, assassins hiding in cemetery walls, or their plan to corner Lone Wolf And Cub by murdering any people they come into contact with, its a pleasing weird movie. In the end, Ogami takes the fight out to the mountainous snow fields where the great climax takes place, ushering in the striking visual of a warrior horde standing in a line against the distant white with Ogami and his son in the foreground. The final battle proves to a busy time for any Japanese stunt-person who could ski, that’s for sure! This was great, even if it doesn’t properly conclude the story, and once again Wakayama is magnetic as a quiet, surly and indomitable presence. The only thing left is to watch the American recut and redub of the first two movies, Shogun Assassin, helpfully included on the Lone Wolf And Cub criterion box set. Recommended.
VHS Tracking 