My Cultural Diet

Kenji Misumi, who directed the previous Lone Wolf and Cub movies, was replaced this time around by Buichi Saitō, who previously worked as an assistant to Yasujirō Ozu on Tokyo Story and Early Spring. But if you think that means Baby Cart in Peril is going to be more contemplative than its predecessors, think again. Under Saitō’s direction, the film veers fully into exploitation territory, featuring a female assassin named Oyuki who defeats her opponents by disrobing and revealing her tattooed flesh. (While accompanied by a very ahistorical psychedelic jazz soundtrack, to boot.) Ogami is hired to kill Oyuki for betraying her former lord and disgracing his retainers, but not surprisingly, things get complicated. Oyuki is seeking revenge against her rapist, a cause that Ogami can’t help but respect. Meanwhile, the Yagyu clan’s machinations continue apace, and the film reveals more of their vendetta against Ogami and the extreme lengths to which they’ll go to beat him. I’m really torn on this film. It dives headlong into the gratuitiousness that the previous films merely flirted with, which gives it a certain ickiness. As David Vining writes in his review, “the semblance of serious consideration of the samurai code that had been intermittently addressed gets tossed aside fully for empty action and titillation.” Also, the film’s insistence on moral ambiguity gets a bit tiresome. Exploitative aspects aside, though, Ogami and Oyuki’s parallels are interesting. Both are kindred spirits of a sort, sacrificing their own honor and humanity in order to get revenge on those who’ve wronged and disgraced them. I just wish the film had done a better job with their story, and actually earned the poignancy that it tries so hard to communicate.

I may earn an affiliate commission on items you buy through Opus. These commissions will go directly to support the site and my blogging.