Fox

Lone Wolf and Cub Fox

All seven films in the 'Lone Wolf and Cub' Japanese samurai action series. Viewed by many as the pinnacle of Japanese exploitation cinema, the films chronicle the adventures of disgraced Shogun assassin Ogami Itto (Tomisaburo Wakayama) and his son Daigoro (Akihiro Tomikawa), who sell their services as assassins while continuing their bloody quest for revenge against the hit squad who killed Itto's wife. In 'Sword of Vengeance' (1971), executioner Ogami Itto is framed for treason and declared an outlaw.

Accompanied only by his young son Daigoro, he sets out on a trail of vengeance against the secret society that murdered his wife and poisoned his reputation. In 'Babycart at the River Styx' (1972), Ogami Itto - aka 'Lone Wolf' - continues his bloody quest through the land he calls Hell. The Yagyu clan are determined to see him dead, and send the deadly female assassins, the Akashi after him.

Beyond them, Lone Wolf must defeat the Gods of death in order to win his 500 pieces of gold. In 'Babycart to Hades' (1973), the Lone Wolf provides a rare display of compassion when he rescues a young girl from her pimp. On the road again, the Wolf finds his services in demand, as he and the child Diagoro - the Cub - travel a violent path to Hades.

In the fourth film, 'Babycart in Peril' (1972), the Wolf has become separated from his Cub, who has fallen into the hands of Itto's deadly rival. A rescue is effected, but Itto must now carry out his latest assignment; to kill tattooed martial arts mistress Oyuki (Michie Azuma). In 'Babycart in the Land of Demons' (1973), Lone Wolf is hired by the Kuroda clan to protect the destiny of its succession.

This duty leads him into a confrontation with the evil Retsudo (Minoru Ohki), as well as forcing him to turn against the very clan he is supposed to be protecting. In 'White Heaven in Hell' (1974), the Wolf and his Cub face a new peril when the Yagyu clan leader Retsudo employs his bloodthirsty daughter to destroy them once and for all. If she fails in her task, Retsudo will unleash the supernatural might of the Yagyu army, against which even the Lone Wolf cannot stand.

'Shogun Assassin' (1979) is the re-cut version of the first two films, which was famously banned as a video nasty on its initial UK release in the early 1980s.