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Cold Road to Hell is the last film of the Shogun Assassin series; however it was originally the end of the Lone Wolf and Cub films. The six Lone Wolf movies were revitalized for Western audiences when the first two films of the franchise were re-edited into a single film renamed Shogun Assassin in 1980. The story is that of Ogami Itto, a samurai whose name has been disgraced and wife murdered through the actions of the evil Yagyū Retsudo, who now roams the Japanese countryside pushing his young son Daigoro in a cart. Itto is continually reminded that he cannot outrun his past whether it is his own quest for revenge, the myriad enemies he has made wanting revenge of their own, or simply becoming involved in helping those he meets along the way with his amazing swordsmanship. Having the same characters and the same plot line, there really is no difference between the two film franchises other than the name, the fact that (due to the merge) there is one less Shogun Assassin film, and that the films released under that particular title are released as English dubs only (as is the case here). Regardless of which title Cold Road to Hell is wrapping up, there is no denying that it is going to take things out with a bang! So, I realize that this is the last film of the six (yes, five is the last of six…I know, it’s weird), but good grief, did they HAVE to go so crazy with this one? I knew I was in for something the moment the film opened on Itto shooting down snowy mountain passes on a renovated cart for his son Daigoro…now complete with ski-boards attached to the bottom. And things just get crazier from there! When Itto kills the last living heir of Retsudo, the man is angered into revealing that he has one more trick up his sleeve…a daughter who has been trained in a deadly art of daggers. Dispatching his daughter to eliminate the wandering ronin, Retsudo is crushed to learn that Itto has bested even HER lethal techniques, and he is forced to reveal yet one MORE trick up his sleeve. Turns out he has another son after all…who in turn will be the last in his lineage. At this point it starts to feel like the filmmakers are reaching just a bit… This last (at least until the next one!) heir, Hyouei, is an embarrassment to Yagyu in that he is the product of an illicit affair; but after many long years of being snubbed and ignored by his powerful father, he has built up a significant amount of anger. Channeling this anger and resentment into the arts of black magic, Hyouei has become a powerful sorcerer who now chooses three warriors to be part of a ceremony which will give them unlimited power over the very Earth itself. Able to move about freely within the ground, these super-soldiers will bring Itto a challenge he has never before faced. Of course, Itto himself isn’t your average man either and his super-human skill with a blade makes him a formidable adversary for even magically enhanced opponents. But through a bit of cunning, Hyouei’s soldiers decide instead to force Itto’s hand by killing innocent people wherever the ronin tries to wander to next. Suddenly scripted siblings, black magic super samurai, wanton murder of innocents and a snowmobile baby cart? I told you this one was a wild ride! Through all of the strangeness of Cold Road to Hell, it is still our beloved Lone Wolf on screen and while the entire atmosphere of this final entry feels supercharged with desperation on the part of the filmmakers as well as a frantic need to deliver a wrap up to audiences, it is still (remarkably) a very well crafted samurai film. I would have liked to see a little more rehashing of just what it was that sent Ogami Itto on this wandering and bore the bad blood between Yagyu and himself. While the ending was solid enough for the film, I am not sure it was a definitive enough wrap up to the series as a whole. While on the topic of this finale, it is important to convey the scale of the last battle. It would be fair to say that nearly two-thirds of Itto’s record-setting kill count is earned during this one climactic fight. Filmed entirely on the snow-covered slopes of a mountain, Itto takes on an army…no, I mean it, an army…all on his own. There have been similar scenes in other chanbara films, but the addition of the snowy landscape being blanketed by the spraying red blood of severed limbs and the absurdity of the baby-cart turned machine-gun snow-sled quite simply takes the cake. It is almost a sad thing to acknowledge that this series had to come to an end; after all the Zatoichi series would run for more than 25 films. However, I believe that the 70’s were already quickly working at ruining the samurai film genre. As more and more Japanese directors took to mimicking the styles of America’s films and their excesses in the name of entertainment, things started to fall apart slowly but surely. Also given the borderline runaway train that the story was becoming, things were beginning to signify a necessary end. At least we can all be happy that there used to be beloved characters and storylines that could go out while still strong and relevant…something else that American film studios have apparently set out to abolish for all time. I should be quiet before some studio decides to revive the Lone Wolf and his cub for a horrid remake. Until that time, we can thank AnimEigo for bringing us the series in BOTH of its incarnations, thus answering many a samurai film fanatic’s completist dreams. Truth be told, it is a credit to the studio for understanding that these films are deserving of being seen by as many viewers as possible. Choosing to release them in both their original language and dubbed versions (along with the titles they represent) is a labor of love. Having been accused of trying to double up the profits, I would argue the point that the company has simply created competition within its own ranks, and has made a great sacrifice for the jidaigeki and chanbara fan communities. So this is it! The baby-cart has been pushed down its last mile, and Itto has chopped off his last head. Show your love by getting on board this wacky and determined ride. -aaron-
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