Choose The Sword takes a (brief) look at the film series Lone Wolf and Cub. Twice a month, Jon and Chris share their impressions of each film, both on its own terms and its intersection in the Cinema Dual hosts’ lives.
FROM THE BOX: In the final Lone Wolf and Cub film, star Tomisaburo Wakayama decided to make the sort of wild movie he’d always wanted to: one in which Lone Wolf battles zombies and Daigoro’s baby cart zips improbably across an icy landscape on skis.
WHAT JON THOUGHT: Maybe it’s Kunihiko Murai’s score, which at one point gets so close to the James Bond theme it feels legally actionable. Or it could be the omnipresent baby cart, which for this movie gets skis added to the growing list of hidden gadgets at Ogami’s disposal. But in all likelihood, it’s the film’s big downhill skiing action setpiece which evokes the long running spy franchise. Retsudo’s managed to declare open season on Ogami and Daigoro, and has marshalled an army from multiple clans in order to take down his long running rival, under direct orders from the shogun. Up until this point, Ogami had been operating under the assumption that he could clear his family name in front of the shogun, but it now seems that the shogun himself wants Ogami and son dead. And when all of Retsudo’s other tricks (including zombies, more on that later) fail him, he sends his gathered forces to ski downhill to face Ogami.
Does it make any sense? It’d be hard to say yes with a straight face, however when this series is at its best, it finds new and interesting ways to challenge our father son team. Last time around, Ogami was thrown off by an opponent who, lacking the physical strength to fight, nevertheless was able to briefly psych Ogami out. While we’ve dabbled in magic in the past, we certainly have not had “underground zombies” before. The middle section of this film mostly sees the various bystanders that cross Ogami and Daigoro’s paths get mysteriously killed in front of or near them, and for Ogami to keep hearing but not seeing various threats made by these undead warriors. Ogami manages to turn the cold winter to his advantage, as he is able to use the frozen ground to slow down his underground enemies long enough to defeat them. If White Heaven in Hell isn’t better than Baby Cart in the Land of Demons, it sure is bigger.
WHAT CHRIS THOUGHT: Anyone expecting closure at the conclusion of White Heaven in Hell, the sixth and final entry in the Lone Wolf and Cub series are going to be disappointed. Spoiler: nothing gets resolved, Retsudo lives (again) to plot his revenge (again), and Ogami and Daigoro continues their demon’s path to Hell. But despite the lack of resolution and loss of Kenji Misumi as director, there are a lot of bright spots in this very left-turn entry in the series. New director Yoshiyuki Kuroda may not have eye for framing and color Misumi did, but he still manages more than a few sequences that evoke wonder, largely thanks to a script that folds in elements of the supernatural. You get Japan’s version of voodoo zombies, illusions and juggling daggers, and in perhaps a more than overt nod to James Bond (Jon is right about that musical sting in the climax), a massive battle against the might of the combined Shoguate forces – on skies – in the snow.
With Tomisaburō Wakayama producing in addition to starring as Ogami, he leans into the bigger, more spectacular side of the series, and watching Ogami shoot assassins out of walls and literally snow ski on the baby cart while being chained up by two soldiers is a sight to behold indeed. He also really leans on the horror: there’s an entire sequence where every innocent person Ogami comes across is murdered is absolutely chilling to watch unfold. Equally horrific in a different way is the craven incest sequence that is so off-putting it’s better left where it is.
ANYTHING ELSE, JON? After Retsudo’s last remaining child Kaori is quickly dispatched by Ogami, Retsudo digs deeper into his talent bench and digs up his illegitimate child Hyouei, who has grown up with the Tsuchigumo clan in the mountains, a group known for their magic. Given that Kaori doesn’t impact the story much and that the film and series ends with Retsudo escaping yet again, it would seem that most of the film’s villain potential lies in Hyouei, who has his own ambitions separate from his father’s. He almost manages to trick Ogami into getting on a boat with him, and is responsible for the raising of the previously mentioned underground zombies. It’s a bit of a letdown when after escaping Ogami’s assault only briefly injured, he goes home to his sister and demands she give him a child. His rape of his sister is only interrupted by Retsudo, who stabs through both of them and ends that subplot as abruptly as it was introduced. It is an awkward moment in a movie that otherwise flies along smoothly.
ANYTHING ELSE, CHRIS? A visibly older Daigoro is sadly left to comic relief facial expressions this time out, but I admire how his relationship with Ogami continues to evolve over the course of the series. Having now watched it, I’m surprised it took six films to bring the fantastical into the picture, as it really works in this context, and makes for some real eye-grabbing moments, such as the three zombies slowly floating up in the air after being shot at by Ogami using the baby cart’s machine guns. There are also multiple sequences of burrowing under the earth which looks phenomenal using simple practical effects.
Speaking of the Jame Bond cue in the finale, did anyone catch the brazen quote from “Night On Bald Mountain” during the Tsuchigumo zombie sequences? This was composer Kunihiko Murai’s only Lone Wolf and Cub score, but it m ight be my favorite. This thing has funk and soul for miles…
THE FINAL WORD(S): For Jon and Chris, White Heaven in Hell ends the series on a fun note. Bigger, bolder, great music and skiing make for an entertaining finale to Lone Wolf and Cub. Choose the sword, and be well!
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