Lone Wolf And Cub Box Set

***1/2

Reviewed by: Jennie Kermode

Lone Wolf And Cub
"With revenge in his heart and an increasing disregard for the morality of the society from which he has been ejected, he's a troubled and troubling hero, but Wakayama is skillful enough to make us bond with him regardless."

A former shogunate executioner turned ronin assassin, Itto Ogami is one of the most iconic figures in Japanese cinematic history. Ably played by master swordsman TomisaburĂ´ Wakayama, he travels through Bushido era Japan pushing the baby cart which contains his infant son Daigoro (Akihiro Tomikawa), whom he has vowed to take with him on the Demon Way. With revenge in his heart and an increasing disregard for the morality of the society from which he has been ejected, he's a troubled and troubling hero, but Wakayama is skillful enough to make us bond with him regardless. This box set contains the full record of his adventures in original Japanese film form, plus the English-dubbed hybrid of the early films that marked many Western viewers' first introduction to the story.

Lone Wolf And Cub: Sword Of Vengeance: After the rest of his family is murdered at the hands of the rival Yagyu clan, Itto finds himself an outcast. Taking his young son Daigoro with him, he sets out to find another way of making a living through his skills as a swordsman.

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Lone Wolf And Cub: Baby Cart At The River Styx: Itto takes on a group of highly skilled swordmistresses and little Daigoro gets to make his first kill, but the pair must also face the dreaded Monks of Death.

Lone Wolf And Cub: Baby Cart To Hades: Itto undergoes torture to save a young woman from being forced to work in a brothel, which impresses the brothel's owners so much that they hire him to assassinate the corrupt lord who has been troubling the region.

Lone Wolf And Cub: Baby Cart In Peril: Daigoro has an adventure on his own while Itto fights ninjas, hunts down a female warrior who has betrayed her clan, and wreaks a deadly vengeance on those who try to cross him.

Lone Wolf And Cub: Baby Cart In The Land Of Demons: Itto is challenged by five assassins who each carry one fifth of his fee and the secrets behind a dangerous mission, but they are not the only ones seeking his services.

Lone Wolf And Cub: White Heaven In Hell: Itto and Daigoro finally face off against the Yagyu lord who killed their family and has been seeking their destruction.

Shogun Assassin: Most of the second film and 12 minutes of the first are re-edited and pasted together to create an English-dubbed version for the international market, putting the focus on fighting and gore.

This box set also contains a number of special features, detailed in the Blu-ray review.

Reviewed on: 24 Mar 2017
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After the rest of his family is killed, a former Shogunate executioner takes his baby son on the road with him and they make a living as assassins while awaiting an opportunity for revenge.

Director: Kenji Misumi, Buichi Saitô, Yoshiyuki Kuroda

Writer: Goseki Kojima, based on the manga by Kazuo Koike

Starring: TomisaburĂ´ Wakayama, Akihiro Tomikawa, Junko Hitomi

Year: 2017

Runtime: 1000 minutes

BBFC: 18 - Age Restricted

Country: Japan

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