The Blind Swordsman: Zatoichi [Blu-ray]

Zatoichi was one of the classic period piece franchises in 1960s-70s Japanese cinema with over 20 releases and a TV series. Since so many older films were being re-made in the 2000s it was only natural that someone would do Zatoichi. That resulted in The Blind Swordsman: Zatoichi by director Takeshi Kitano featuring himself in the classic role.Every original Zatoichi film had some basic elements. First, there were some Yakuza (gangsters), because that was the crowd Zatoichi ran with. Next there were the gambling dens that the gangs ran, which Zatoichi would always frequent. Third, common people were always featured instead of the samurai and upper class that most Japanese films focused upon. There was always a woman that had fallen on hard times that Zatoichi tried to redeem. Finally, there was swordplay with Zatoichi killing numerous Yakuza and usually a ronin (a masterless samurai).The 2003 version used all of those elements. In the opening scene for example, some Yakuza come upon Zatoichi (Takeshi Kitano) and tell a little boy to steal his sword. They taunt him, but then he gets his sword back and slays a few of them. There’s also the gambling, but this time with a little twist from the originals. Usually, Zatoichi uses this superior hearing to win, and then catches the Yakuza trying to cheat. This time he ends up slicing up the place. Zatoichi comes across a poor farmer woman, O-ume (Michiyo Okusu) who is being exploited by a gang, which he tries to help. Later he meets two sisters O-sei (Daigoro Tachibana) and O-kinu (Yuko Daike), one of which is actually a transvestite. They are travelling performers who are seeking out revenge upon the gang that killed their family. Zatoichi helps them seek payback. Last, there is the ronin Hattori (Tadanobu Asano) who was disgraced in his clan and becomes a bodyguard for the local Yakuza. There is of course a big swordfight between them at the end.Director Kitano also had some really beautiful shots such as farmers plowing away on their field with the sounds of their tools making the beat of the background music.While I enjoyed the remake I thought the one major flaw was that Takeshi Kitano didn’t bring more character to Zatoichi. The original actor Shintaro Katsu had a real way with Zatoichi in how he looked and how he interacted with people. He was always happy and playful until a conflict emerged. Takeshi Kitano is more quiet and reserved. Still, this was a fine adaptation and a good story.

This movie came out in 2003 and was meant to be a successor to the Zatoichi movies of the 1960s and early 1970s. It does succeed to an extent in that it focuses on the blind masseur - sword master who always finds himself on the wrong side of trouble with Yakuza gangs.Zatoichi is the story of a blind man who earns his living as a masseur - the only trade allowed for the blind in Japan at that time - who seeks respect by learning the use of the sword and becoming a Yakuza enforcer. When we meet Ichi, he has left that life behind and only wants to live in peace, but is never able to by circumstances.In this story, Takeshi Kitano (who also directed) stars as the blind masseur. There are really four stories that compose this production. Firstly, there is Zatoichi. Secondly, there is a village under the heel of a Yakuza gang which rules with an iron hand. Thirdly, there is a disgraced samurai and his ill wife who must make a living as a hired thug of Yakuza gangs. Fourthly, there are two Geishas who have a hidden past and are on a path of revenge for the death of their family as children at the hands of Yakuza gangsters.Really, there's too much going on here...or there would be if not for the storyline which ties them together and the direction of Kitano which uses Zatoichi to tie all these different subplots together. The fights are generally good and well choreographed though the spurting blood special effects are a little too much...as in unrealistic. I was impressed with the performances of all the actors - especially Tadanobu Asano.But, the fact of the matter is that Zatoichi comes across as simply a plot device in order to make the other subplots have a pivot to turn on. Ichi becomes simply a killing machine, a killing machine for good, but a killing machine none-the-less. It lacks the humor and vulnerability of Shintaro Katsu's performances as the original Zatoichi and left me less than satisfied with this remake. The original Ichi would have felt remorse for killing the disgraced Samurai, recognizing the desperate plight he found himself in. Zatoichi, played by Shintaro Katsu, would have joked a lot more, used his sword on inanimate objects to scare off would-be attackers and dice cheaters instead of cutting one's arm off in this film.It's a good Zatoichi film and will give many a couple hours good entertainment...but, I won't go to my DVD shelf a year later and put it in my DVD player as I will the Sintaro Katsu movies.

I am a fan of the old school Zatoichi series and was initially hesitant to tarnish the classic films. I did watch this film when it first came out in 2003. I viewed it with several friends who have never seen any Zatoichi movie. We all loved it. If you are expecting to see the original films with their feel and style, you may be disappointed. This has a lighter, more comical feel, with brilliantly utilized music that blends with the scenes. I felt it is more a continuation, rather than a remake. I wish he would have made a few more.The movies has a lot of blood and violence, as expected with a modern samurai film. The plot is rich with characters, and an enemy swordsman that you truly feel for before and after the final showdown. I started to hope they would team-up at the end, but you know where this leads. They are going to fight and it is not going to be pretty. The duel is topnotch, that is all I will add to that.The end credit scene lightens things up with a surprisingly enjoyable choreographed dance sequence with everyone in the movie and features some amazing music.Going into this with an open mind, I fell completely in love with the movie. The lead was played by Takeshi Kitano who also directed the film. Impressive. I love how he plays him as somewhat twitchy in the face as he uses his keen senses to detect the world around him. He is a fantastic actor, other films; Battle Royale, Izo, Brother, Ghost In the Shell (live-action), Johnny Mnemonic.As an avid fan of Japanese cinema in general, I can safely say this is a worthwhile film that any samurai fan will love.

Takeshi Kitano's stylish and upbeat retelling of the Kan Shimozawa's Zatoichi is in itself an awesome film, loaded with his usual trademark comedy, and action beats even though it is told in a far more traditional manner than his usual work. Kitano plays the titular character in his own inimitable fashion, a role that suits his laconic style to perfection, this time coming to the defence of townspeople caught up in a local yakuza gang. Picture quality is untypically mediocre for Artifical Eye, but it is an odd film in terms of colour and saturation. I think it's a relatively faithful representation of the intended look (night scenes look superb) but there is considerable noise in the second half of the film that was present in the DVD I previously owned. It's a shame this didn't have a little more of a restoration, or source a different master, but whilst it's perhaps not stunning. it's certainly far from bad. On the plus side there's an absolutely wonderful lossless DTS HD Master audio track in the original Japanese and a host of decent extras. Plus also this disc is region free. In short, if you don't own Zatoichi at all, this is the definitive edition to have. If however you own the previous 2-disc release (with the extras) then perhaps not so. Unless you have the set-up to really make the best of the HD sound, I would say you're not losing a huge amount by sticking with the SD release.

I wasn't impressed from the moment I opened the package, as the case was broken. This can happen during delivery so I wasn't to bothered about that. Soon after I put the disc in to watch the film I realised its not an official bluray disc. The film and special feature played perfectly fine. The issue was that there were navigation icons missing from the the special features menu. So I couldn't get back to the main menu to play the film after watching a couple special features. I've started a return and have had my refund processed. I've owned this film on bluray dvd in the past and I have never had this problem with any bluray before, which has led me to believe this can't be an official bluray disc. On top of the fact that I don't need to send it back, which proves its not worth anything.

I took a gamble on this and bought it based on a few clips but I'm very pleased that I did. I thought the film was really cleverly done and really enjoyed it.. It could quite easily have just been a corny martial arts film, thankfully it wasn't, it had a story, nice twists, was well acted and nothing seemed (too far) over the top. It had an unusual end scene involving (almost!) the whole cast but I liked that. Will not spoil anything here but if you like martial arts films with a good story, decent acting and non slapstick humour then give this one a go, its a watch again film.

Kitano is one of my favourite directors. He is able to say so much without dialogue. This films has a lot more pace and humour than his previous filmography. A movie that is well shot, engaging, funny and dark also. It has something for action aficionados but there are much deeper messages for those that are willing to let the story of a blind swordsman open their eyes.It also features a moving and unique soundtrack that features electronic instruments/samples as well as traditional Japanese instruments.Stop reading this go and watch it!

Takeshi Kitano was at the top of his game when he directed this and although he isn't as good in the role as the original actor, this still kicks ass!