Takeshi "Beat" Kitano is a film legend in most parts of the world, but he is little known to the general public in the U.S. Cult fans will know him as the teacher in BATTLE ROYALE, which is an amazing film. ZATOICHI is a huge franchise in Japan with 26 films and a TV series. Actor Shintaro Katsu played the blind swordsman until his death. Kitano boils down the series to its essence and creates a pulp samurai/yakuza flick that fans of Quentin Tarantino will love.
Zatoichi (Kitano) is a blind masseur, who often finds himself in quick and deadly swordplay. He ends up fighting for the side of justice. This time around two geishas – O-Sei (Daigoro Tachibana, film debut) and O-Kinu (Yuuko Daike, JU-ON 2) are seeking revenge on the gang that slaughtered their parents when they were children. Boss Ginzo (Ittoku Kishibe, FIFTEEN) hires master swordsman Hattori Genosuke (Tadanobu Asano, ICHI THE KILLER), who only takes the job to help save his sick wife O-Shino (Yui Natsukawa, SPY SORGE). Throughout the film, Zatoichi stays with Aunt O-Ume (Michiyo Ookusu, ZATOICHI: THE BLIND SWORDSMAN'S PILGRIMAGE) and her unlucky, loaf of a brother Shinkichi (Gadarukanaru Taka, WARM WATER UNDER A RED BRIDGE), who give a good look at how the yakuza (gangster) affect the lives of the villagers.
The film’s fight scenes are quick and stylized. Kitano gives Zatoichi a dry grin after his feeble persona lures attackers into his trap. There is a current of humor that runs through the entire film. Shinkichi serves as much of the comic relief. Kitano also adds a bit of poetry to the film with the synchronization of villagers working in the fields with the beats on the soundtrack. He also does this toward the end of the film in a wonderful house building scene. And as if the film were inspired by a bit of Bollywood, there's a stomp number to close the whole film provided by the Japanese tap troupe The Stripes. From the fight scenes to the musical flourishes, Kitano attempts to create a bit of visual poetry.
It’s a fun action film that holds your interest with a unique visual style, solid genre writing and good performances. Zatoichi looks like a simple peasant, who would be an easy target for the evil and corrupt, but he is actually their defender. With this ironic hero, Kitano won the Silver Lion at the Venice Film Festival. The filmmaker takes a disposable series and makes a very good film out of its key parts.
Rick DeMott
Animation World Network
Creator of Rick's Flicks Picks
