Lone Wolf and Cub: White Heaven in Hell

1974 1h 23m JA

👍

7.1

SOLID

⭐

7.3

IMDB

★7.1TMDB · 134★7.3IMDB · 4,412

ActionAdventureFantasyDramaThriller

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

With most of his family already dead at Ogami Itto's hands, Retsudo launches one final plot to destroy him, and when that fails, unleashes the fury of every remaining member of the Yagyu clan.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Cast

Tomisaburō Wakayama
Ogami Itto
Akihiro Tomikawa
Ogami Daigoro
Junko Hitomi
Yagyu Kaori
Gorō Mutsumi
Iwane Ozunu
Daigo Kusano
Mudo
Jiro Miyaguchi
Muga
Renji Ishibashi
Mumon
Teruo Ishiyama
Shogun

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Yoshiyuki Kuroda
Writers: Goseki Kojima, Kazuo Koike, Tsutomu Nakamura
Languages: Japanese
Countries: Japan

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

83 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

52 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

CINEMA

Did you know

Part of the "Lone Wolf and Cub Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Yoshiyuki Kuroda, shot by Chikashi Makiura. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Kunihiko Murai. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Toshio Taniguchi shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Tomisaburō Wakayama and Akihiro Tomikawa and Junko Hitomi carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0071695 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Yoshiyuki Kuroda directs. Chikashi Makiura behind the camera. Kunihiko Murai scores. Toshio Taniguchi cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in Japan. Dialogue in Japanese.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

183 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
252 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
3Part of the "Lone Wolf and Cub Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
4Directed by Yoshiyuki Kuroda, shot by Chikashi Makiura. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Kunihiko Murai. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Toshio Taniguchi shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Tomisaburō Wakayama and Akihiro Tomikawa and Junko Hitomi carry the top of the cast.
8IMDB entry: tt0071695 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Released under 11 different titles around the world.

The technical file

Cinematography: Chikashi Makiura
Original score: Kunihiko Murai
Editing: Toshio Taniguchi
Production design: Akira Naitō
Costume design: Yasunao Inui
Makeup / hair: Toshio Tanaka
Runtime: 83 min · 1h 23m
Status: Released
Original language: JA
Certification (US): 18
IMDB: Lone Wolf and Cub: White Heaven in Hell (1974)
IMDB rating: 7.3/10 · 4,412 votes
MPAA: Not Rated

Part of

Lone Wolf and Cub Collection

The tale of a renegade samurai fighting for revenge alongside his young son. Bloodshed is nonstop as they fight through an everlasting gob of enemies, aided by a variety of weapons. Shogun Assassin and Shogun Assassin 2 are not included as they are in fact American made compilations.