Based on the manga series by Kazuo Koike and Goseki Kojima, Lone Wolf and Cub: Baby Cart at the River Styx is the second film of the series in which an assassin-for-hire continues his journey through Edo-period Japan where he battle a group of female assassins hired by the clan who killed his wife and disgraced his name. Directed Kenji Misumi and screenplay by Kazuo Koike, the film explores a man continuing his path to find redemption as he well as seeking justice for the loss of his wife while accompanying his young son his path as the role of Itto Ogami and his son Daigoro are reprised by Tomisaburo Wakayama and Akihiro Tomikawa. Also starring Kayo Matsuko, Akji Kobayashi, Minoru Ohki, and Shin Kishida. Lone Wolf and Cub: Baby Cart at the River Styx is a majestic yet exhilarating film from Kenji Misumi.
The film follows the duo of Lone Wolf and Cub as they trek through Japan seeking whatever work Itto Ogami can do as an assassin as they’re eventually hired by a clan to kill a clan leader for disrupting their business while Ogami is being pursued by samurai warriors including a group of female assassins working for the man who disgraced Ogami. It’s a film with a simple premise that manga co-writer Kazuo Koike creates as it play into Ogami and Daigoro going on this journey as they’re eventually hired by a clan who is known for making indigo dye and have a monopoly on it but someone had betrayed them and is willing to share their secret method to a shogun whom Ogami is in conflict with. Ogami agrees to do the job yet the shogun’s own ninja clan team up with a clan of female assassins to try and eliminate Ogami for good. There isn’t much of a plot yet it is more about Ogami and Daigoro continuing on their path and the forces he face as they’re forced to deal with Ogami. Among them are a trio of brothers known as the Hidaris who are fierce warriors with iron-like weapons as they’re hoping to protect the man who had stolen the indigo dye methods.
Kenji Misumi’s direction is stylish not just in its compositions and settings but also its emphasis on suspense and drama. Most notably as Daigoro is given more to do and actually take part in a bit of the action including a scene where he tends to his ailing father after a scuffle that left him wounded for a bit. Shot on various locations in Japan, Misumi does use some wide shots for not just a scope of the locations including a gorgeous scene shot in a greenish forest. It’s also in the compositions he creates in some extreme close-ups and medium shots with the latter used for meetings between Ogami and the indigo dye clan or the group of people conspiring to kill Ogami. Misumi also creates images that do play into the beauty of Ogami’s journey despite the claims that Ogami and Daigoro are walking towards the River Styx on their way to Hell.
With the aid of fight choreographer Eiichi Kusumoto, Misumi’s approach to the sword fights, battles, and duels do play into this air of urgency of whenever Ogami has to attack. Even in a scene on a boat where he meets the Hidari brothers and sees what they’re able to do while he stays in the room with them as it showcases an act of respect between warriors. Ogami’s first confrontation with Akari Yagyu clan leader Sayaka (Kayo Matsuo) does have an air of style as well as some strange moments that occur after their first confrontation ends. The film’s third act that takes place in sand dunes do showcase this air of style in its setting where the Hidari brothers are confronted by members of the indigo dye clan as the violence remains stylized with limbs cut off and blood being sprayed as it is just a taste of what is to come upon meeting Ogami. Overall, Misumi crafts a ravishing and enchanting film about an assassin-for-hire and his young son trekking through Japan while dealing with a horde of new enemies.
Cinematographer Chikashi Makiura does brilliant work with the film’s cinematography as it features some gorgeous natural lighting and colors for some of the daytime exterior scenes including shots in the forest while the scenes at night with lighting by Hiroshi Mima add to the low-key yet somber beauty of the film as it is a major highlight of the film. Editor Toshio Taniguchi does excellent work with the editing as it has elements of style in its jump-cuts, stylish dissolves, and other cuts that help play into the action, drama, and suspense. Production designer Akira Naito does fantastic work with the look of the hut that Ogami and Daigoro stay at for a bit, some of the homes of the clans, and the boat where Ogami meets the Hidari brothers. Costume designer Yoshio Ueno does nice work with the costumes in the robes that Sayaka wears as well as the clothes that the Hidari brothers wear.
Special stunt effects by Daizen Shishido is amazing for some of the action including characters jumping in the air with mechanical effects by Shin-Ei Art Workshop adding to the film’s visual effects. The sound work of Tsuchitaro Hayashi, along with sound effects by Toru Kurashima, do superb work with the sound in the creation of some of the sound effects as well as . The film’s music by Hideaki Sakurai is incredible for its array of dissonant and eerie music score filled with offbeat percussive music that help build up the suspense as well as traditional Japanese string instruments that play into the drama as it is a major highlight of the film.
The film’s wonderful cast feature some notable small roles from Akiji Kobayashi as the leader of the Kurokuwa group in Ozuno who conspires with Sayaka to kill Ogami, the quartet of Izumi Ayukawa, Reiko Kasahara, Yukiji Ikeda, and Yuriko Mishima as four of Sayaka’s assassins, the trio of Minoru Ohki, Shin Kishida, and Shogen Nitta as the Hidari brothers, and Kayo Matsuo in a fantastic performance as Sayaka as a clan leader loyal to the lead shogun as she hopes to kill Ogami for her master only for her confrontations with Ogami leading to many revelations for her. Finally, there’s the duo of Akihiro Tomikawa and Tomisaburo Wakayama in their respective roles as Ogami Daigoro and Ogami Itto as the son-father duo with the former being a three-year old boy who is aware of what is happening around him yet proves to be formidable whenever danger is around. Wakayama’s performance as the latter is more restrained in terms of someone who is in total control but is also aware that he has a big target on his back and is always ready while he ponders if the path he’s chosen for himself and his son is the right one.
Lone Wolf and Cub: Baby Cart at the River Styx is a spectacular film from Kenji Misumi. Featuring a great ensemble cast, intoxicating visuals, evocative music, and a simple yet thrilling premise, the film is an exhilarating samurai film with lots of action, suspense, and drama as it plays into a father-and-son duo trekking through Japan as they encounter enemies and such during their path. In the end, Lone Wolf and Cub: Baby Cart at the River Styx is a tremendous film from Kenji Misumi.
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