Movie Info
Movie Name: Lone Wolf and Cub: Baby Cart in Peril
Studio: Toho
Genre(s): Martial Arts/Action/Adventure
Release Date(s): November 1972
MPAA Rating: Not Rated
I like stabbing you!
Ogami Ittō (Tomisaburo Wakayama) and his son Daigoro (Akihiro Tomikawa) have been hired to track down a tattooed female assassin named Oyuki (Michie Azuma). Unknown to Ittō, his enemy Yagyū Retsudo (Tatsuo Endo) has sent his son Yagyū Gunbei (Yoichi Hayashi) to kill him…and when Daigoro is separated from his father, he could become the first target. Ittō’s hunt for Oyuki brings Ittō into a deal with her father…and a trap by Yagyū Retsudo that Ittō and Daigoro might not escape!
That’s right…I’m not afraid to kick some ass!
Directed by Buichi Saito, Lone Wolf and Cub: Baby Cart in Peril (子連れ狼 親の心子の心 or Kozure Ōkami: Oya no kokoro ko no kokoro which translates to Wolf with Child in Tow: The Heart of a Parent, the Heart of a Child) is a samurai action film produced by Toho. Following Lone Wolf and Cub: Baby Cart to Hades released in August 1972, Lone Wolf and Cub Baby Cart in Peril is the fourth film in the Lone Wolf and Cub series based on the classic manga by Kazuo Koike which ran from September 1970 to April 1976. The film was released in the United States as Shogun Assassin 3: Slashing Blades of Carnage.
The best Lone Wolf and Cub movies have Ittō pairing off against a worthy (aka rounded) opponent. That is the case for Lone Wolf and Cub: Baby Cart in Peril which kind of dips into a woman’s role by introducing the assassin Oyuki.
Check out my tats…I said tats!
There have been women and women assassins in Lone Wolf and Cub, but this movie shows a bit more background and tries to go into Oyuki’s mindset which is different. It is also nice that Ittō, once again, is trapped by his code and forced to kill her due to it…leading to the second half of the movie where he essentially is caught because he defends her honor.
Tomisaburo Wakayama and Akihiro Tomikawa are a good pairing. The directors have managed to get a lot out of a little boy especially in this film which has Akihiro Tomikawa lost from his father for a good part. Tomisaburo Wakayama is still great as Ittō but it is too bad that Oyuki couldn’t have been in more of the movie with an interesting character set up. Yagyū Retsudo returns from the first film but this time has Tatsuo Endo playing him.
Yeah, this baby cart also has a blender and a microwave!
The last Lone Wolf and Cub film had one of the biggest and bloodiest endings. This movie cannot match that film but does provide a good fight because Ittō almost loses for the first time. The showdown fight with Yagyū Retsudo feels much more high stakes than some of the other battles in the series.
Lone Wolf and Cub is just a bloody, bloody series. This entry is one of the better films and once again has a mini-adventure for Daigoro who demonstrates how his father’s life is changing him even at an early age…and that is about the only character development you’ll get in the series. Lone Wolf and Cub is often unbalanced but is still a thrill. Lone Wolf and Cub: Baby Cart in Peril is followed by Lone Wolf and Cub: Baby Cart in the Land of Demons in 1973.
Related Links:
Lone Wolf and Cub: Sword of Vengeance (1972)
Lone Wolf and Cub: Baby Cart at the River Styx (1972)
Lone Wolf and Cub: Baby Cart to Hades (1972)
Hi. These movies are amazing! I shelled-out a fortune for the box set some years back (seriously, that price needs to come down.) I’d like to recommend avoiding the edited/dubbed “Shogun Assassin” versions of these also.
I only recently got into (the lead actor) Tomisaburo’s brother’s films the “Zatoichi” saga, which Tomisaburo turns up in twice or more himself (pre-LWAC) I like them even better! I prefer Zatoichi’s character, being more humble and compassionate IMO, and there’s no Daigoro who I really found kind of irritating most of the time. They’re DEFINITELY worth seeing! Thanks for your article, and for letting me comment. Jack T.
Yes, fun and surprisingly under-watched series despite the success of the manga in the US.