The Blind Swordsman: Zatoichi

2003 [JAPANESE]

Action / Comedy / Crime / Drama / Thriller

49
IMDb Rating 7.4/10 10 53059 53.1K

martial arts japan samurai sword geisha blackmail

Plot summary

Blind traveler Zatoichi is a master swordsman and a masseur with a fondness for gambling on dice games. When he arrives in a village torn apart by warring gangs, he sets out to protect the townspeople.

Director

Takeshi Kitano Photo
Takeshi Kitano

Top cast

Akira Emoto Photo
Akira Emoto as Tavern Owner Pops
Takeshi Kitano Photo
Takeshi Kitano as Zatôichi / Ichi
Yui Natsukawa Photo
Yui Natsukawa as O-Shino, Hattori's Wife
Ittoku Kishibe Photo
Ittoku Kishibe as Boss Inosuke Ginzo
720p.BluRay 1080p.BluRay
1.04 GB
1280*694
Japanese 2.0
NR
Subtitles us  
24 fps
1 hr 56 min
Seeds 4
2.14 GB
1918*1040
Japanese 5.1
NR
Subtitles us  
24 fps
1 hr 56 min
Seeds 19

Movie Reviews

Reviewed by swordsnare 8 / 10

Another retelling of the Blind Swordsman..

Another retelling of one of Japan's longest running fictional characters. For what I understand, there is over 25 films and tv series based on this character. Even a Hollywood made a version of this in 1990 as 'Blind Fury', starring the late Rutger Hauer.I quite liked this version, directed and starring Takeshi Kitano (aka Beat Takeshi). His productions and acting are usually quite poised and composed, which may not appeal to some. Some of the production values are probably not up to scratch by today's standards, but this is forgivable nonetheless.I rate this 7.5/10, but as I can't do half scores here. So I'm rounding up.
Reviewed by The_Void 6 / 10

They don't make 'em like this anymore...oh wait!

Takeshi Kitano's offbeat samurai drama marks a personal triumph for the man himself and a notable entry for the genre. Kitano directs and stars as the blind samurai of Japanese pulp fiction; Zatôichi. He puts in a grand performance and really brings the character to life. His direction is superb also, and he succeeds in creating a foreboding and tension filled atmosphere that also captures the familiar Kurosawa-esque feel of the classic samurai movies. The story follows the fate of blind samurai master: Zatôichi. This master doesn't let a small thing like losing his sight get in the way, and in spite of being blind, the master is still the fastest man with a sword; as he proves on a number of occasions. The first thing you will notice about the fight scenes in this movie is that they are bloodthirsty! That's no bad thing, of course, especially since the second thing you will notice is that there's lots of them. The fight sequences are definitely the highlight of the movie, and they include some highlights in themselves; as we watch in delight as limbs fly and people get sliced and diced! The fights in this film make the likes of Kill Bill look even more ridiculous than it does already.Takeshi Kitano creates his own world for the characters in the movie to inhabit, and he also seems keen to incorporate as many elements as possible into the plot, which is good in one way as it ensures that the movie is always intriguing and interesting, but it does get a little convoluted and, at times, makes you think "what's that there for?!". Still, the film does offer lots of interesting little tidbits, and it never gets so convoluted that it becomes boring. Well, it can't do; there's always another fight scene round the corner! The film is artistically played throughout, and you get the impression that Kitano has an obvious respect for the art of cinema, which is certainly no bad thing at all. Even though the plot is very familiar, and anyone that's seen more than a couple of samurai movies will have seen one with a plot like this one has; it's inventive enough to carve out a niche of it's own, and it draws it's originality from that fact. On the whole, this isn't a great samurai movie like the ones of yore; but it's encouraging that films like this are still being made, and it's easily one of the best movies of 2003. Recommended viewing!
Read more IMDb reviews

9 Comments

Be the first to leave a comment