Iconic neon blood soaked thrill ride. Hard to beat the original, yet somehow did. Little less narration letting the action and the atmosphere take the lead. https://boxd.it/2IOxcr

Kozure Ōkami - Lone Wolf and Cub 01 Kozure Ōkami: Kowokashi udekashi tsukamatsuru (Lone Wolf and Cub: Sword of Vengeance) (1972) https://trakt.tv/movies/lone-wolf-and-cub-sword-of-vengeance-1972 02 Kozure Ōkami: Sanzu no kawa no ubaguruma (Lone Wolf and Cub: Baby Cart at the River Styx) (1972) https://trakt.tv/movies/lone-wolf-and-cub-baby-cart-at-the-river-styx-1972 03 Kozure Ōkami: Shinikazeni mukau ubaguruma (Lone Wolf and Cub: Baby Cart to Hades) (1972) https://trakt.tv/movies/lone-wolf-and-cub-baby-cart-to-hades-1972 04 Kozure Ōkami: Oya no kokoro ko no kokoro (Lone Wolf and Cub: Baby Cart in Peril) (1972) https://trakt.tv/movies/lone-wolf-and-cub-baby-cart-in-peril-1972 05 Kozure Ōkami: Meifumado (Lone Wolf and Cub: Baby Cart in the Land of Demons) (1973) https://trakt.tv/movies/lone-wolf-and-cub-baby-cart-in-the-land-of-demons-1973 06 Kozure Ōkami: Jigoku e ikuzo! Daigoro (Lone Wolf and Cub: White Heaven in Hell) (1974) https://trakt.tv/movies/lone-wolf-and-cub-white-heaven-in-hell-1974

Disgraced former executioner Ogami Ittō continues his brooding storm through the Japanese countryside, his three-year-old son Daigoro along for the ride in a booby-trapped carriage. Now some distance into their march to vengeance, the pair have drawn so much notoriety that they risk ambush and assassination at every turn. It's not paranoia, either: Ogami dispenses with blade-wielding enemies at nearly every chapter break, downing at least two-dozen men and women before the film is through. The opportunity isn't abused. In true poppy '70s samurai fashion, each challenger (or cluster of challengers) wears a distinct identity and a unique fighting style, like a colorful garden of deadly blossoms. They all bleed day-glo red, though, often in a towering arc of spray that paints landscape and fallen comrade alike. In Baby Cart at the River Styx, for the first time, we see vulnerability from the master swordsman and a little headstrong personality from his young child. We also see uncertainty from a prominent rival, another first, and restraint in the midst of a bloodlust. Some of the fighting is a little awkward, and the formula is threatening to wear thin, but overall this represents a wonderfully stylish, entertaining continuation of the journey that was so well-established in the first film. An excellent genre-definer.

Could be my favorite of the series. It's just so entraining with some of the best action sequences. Love the duels with the ninja girls and the the finale with the three Warriors. So good. Also the theme of the headmistress ninja succumbing to her motherly nature was a nice touch. I'm sure feminists would love it.