This final episode of the six Lone Wolf and Cub series is a mixed bag, though continually entertaining, with the expected quota of sword fights, ninja attacks, and all-out battles - here captured in the the rival Yagyu faction's attempt to push the Lone Wolf to despair the body count that follows him.
The extravagant violence that follows isn't so much realistic (with its blood that looks like paint, and shoestring foley work) as it is a Downhill Racer with samurai swords, the Baby Cart equipped with machine guns, cannons, and an assembly of spears. The most appealing aspect of this series (and this movie) derives from its bleak depiction of a world of honorable bad guys and just plain bad guys. Death, here, is an ugly business.
The final sequence, which pits our hero against swordsmen wearing skis, is kind of campy, but that's all part of the mystique of this series. Some people love it; others may find it a bit formulaic.
The extravagant violence that follows isn't so much realistic (with its blood that looks like paint, and shoestring foley work) as it is a Downhill Racer with samurai swords, the Baby Cart equipped with machine guns, cannons, and an assembly of spears. The most appealing aspect of this series (and this movie) derives from its bleak depiction of a world of honorable bad guys and just plain bad guys. Death, here, is an ugly business.
The final sequence, which pits our hero against swordsmen wearing skis, is kind of campy, but that's all part of the mystique of this series. Some people love it; others may find it a bit formulaic.