This review reportedly contains spoilers. I can handle the truth.

Unfortunately, the combination of a 1st generation LED TV and the Artsmagic DVD release made parts of this film almost completely unwatchable. Most of the blame is on the transfer, though. The whites are blown out, the blacks are blacked out, colors faded, there is chroma and combing, in total a failed release. Which I was partly aware of, but it was the only release I could get my hands on for now. This blu-ray box set probably looks nice, but why the hell aren't the Japanese audio tracks included?!

The scenes I were able to enjoy were incredibly cool.

The best movie you've ever seen involving a baby killing 3 people. Can be slow at times but amazing action scenes. Definitely worth a watch if you don't have a problem with gore or nudity.

Further developing the relationship between Itto and his son, this action packed sequel ends up being even more enjoyable than the first one.

I always thought Quentin Tarantino polished up and perfected these kinds of fight scenes when he did Kill Bill, but after having seen some of the "source material", if one could call it that, I've realized that he never even got close to the kind of awesomeness displayed here.

Snygg och helt galen uppföljare. Man ser var Tarantino fick vissa Kill Bill-idéer ifrån.

This review reportedly contains spoilers. I can handle the truth.

The best movie you've ever seen involving a baby killing 3 people. Can be slow at times but amazing action scenes. Definitely worth a watch if you don't have a problem with gore or nudity.

Further developing the relationship between Itto and his son, this action packed sequel ends up being even more enjoyable than the first one.

I always thought Quentin Tarantino polished up and perfected these kinds of fight scenes when he did Kill Bill, but after having seen some of the "source material", if one could call it that, I've realized that he never even got close to the kind of awesomeness displayed here.

More action-packed than the first, though undeniably cheesier as well, 'Baby Cart at the River Styx' succeeds because it has Tomisaburo Wakayama as its grounding center. His Ogami Itto literally cuts through the weaker elements, and his swordsmanship and dead-stare remain captivating throughout. I feel this entry is slightly weaker than the first (though I'm probably the minority opinion in this regard) because it lacks the scope of 'Sword of Vengeance'; this is merely a road adventure, albeit a very good one, while its predecessor was the epic start of the quest, and contained an intriguing back story. Having said that, this is still a very enjoyable movie, and it was very cool to see the original source for the dialogue clips on the Gza album 'Liquid Swords' (well, they were taken from 'Shogun Assassin'--English language mash-up of the first two films-- for the album, but the moments and quotes were recognizable even in their original Japanese).

The second movie in the Lone Wolf and Cub series.

In a way this one follows the same formula established in the first movie, but does it with a bit more confidence and style. This is the movie where I really started to appreciate Tomisaburô Wakayama's performance.

In terms of high pressure arterial spray, chopped of limbs and hidden swords, this movie is a ten. But it's still a ridiculous, 70's action samurai flick with gallons of red temper paint and, even at just 80 minutes, drags when people aren't getting murdered.

#95 of the December Project

I've seen the Lone Wolf and Cub series get a lot of love on Letterboxd so I thought I'd check this one out. It came in a boxset of films Quentin Tarantino said inspired Kill Bill. This one specifically is where he lifted the style of fighting from. Many of the kills in Kill Bill are very similar to this film. The spraying of blood, the limbs flying everywhere and gore galore. There are several unmissable scenes and the fights are so intense and well shot that I can see why QT is such a big fan. It has little bits and pieces that elevate it above standard Asian gore cinema like the Baby Cart with retractable blades or Daigoro having the best toddler haircut of all time. I'm tempted to watch more Lone Wolf and Cub if they're all this good.

Snygg och helt galen uppföljare. Man ser var Tarantino fick vissa Kill Bill-idéer ifrån.

Rewatching the new Animeigo Blu-ray Set!

All LONE WOLF AND CUB movies get my automatic 5 star rating. Sure, some are better than others. But this is one of the greatest action series in the history of film and I will defend that statement to my last breath.

If you don't have all the fun while watching these, you need to adjust some personal priorities.