Movie: "Zatoichi, The Blind Swordsman" (Opinions?)

Japan's hit Samurai movie hits America.

My opinion:
Saw this last Saturday, thought it was pretty good (not as good as Garden State). It's pretty much what you'd expect (especially if you've seen the older film series): an visibly unassuming blind massuer (and master swordsman) cuts it up in a very Kurosawa like storyline involving rival bandits terrorizing a village.

The acting is pretty good (mostly comic). The guy playing the lead role is truly fun to watch.

The only thing that wasn't so great was the CG blood. Alas, some of the sword punctures also look a little fake because of the CG. Still, the blood is there, the violence is quick and catastrophic

The last five minutes of the movie go completely off in a new, unrelated direction (in a way I've never seen a movie do). I don't want to spoil it, but lets just say you probably won't see it coming -though there are hints throughout the movie. Let's just say you'll smile and mutter to yourself "WTF?"

Yeah, the ending made me go WTFH.

Some of the action really suprised me, like the first fighting scene (kid steals "cane") was so sudden I was like HOLY SHIT. I liked the action, I mean, it wasn't long drawn out martial arts kind of stuff, quick and to the point, but still really badass.

I also liked how when the people were working it had a beat (in the fields, on the house).

Overall I recommend it for everyone.

I haven't seen the older series (said to be like 30+ videos?), is it any good?

Shinji said:

I haven't seen the older series (said to be like 30+ videos?), is it any good?

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I haven't seen it either, but any person over 40 who I've talked to says it was fantastic, and that the movie is just a pale imitation.

I guess it would be like if someone tried to make a Batman movie imitating the campy 60's series with Adam West. The movie might be interesting and funny on it's own, but it would never be able to touch the original.

Shinji said:

Some of the action really suprised me, like the first fighting scene (kid steals "cane") was so sudden I was like HOLY SHIT. I liked the action, I mean, it wasn't long drawn out martial arts kind of stuff, quick and to the point, but still really badass.

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Yeah, that quick style reminded me of Yojimbo/Sanjuro

Shinji said:

I haven't seen the older series (said to be like 30+ videos?), is it any good?

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Yes.

Simply put, without Katsu Shintaro as Zatoichi, I'm not sure I can enjoy the new one. Katsu Shintaro died several years back, his final Zatoichi flick was done in '89 I believe. When he died, 6000+ people showed up for the funeral.

For the cream of the crop of original Zatoichi, check out Animeigo's Zatoichi releases. They have 7 of the films and theirs are remastered, unlike the other company that does them.

Bobak said:

Japan's hit Samurai movie hits America.

My opinion:
Saw this last Saturday, thought it was pretty good (not as good as Garden State). It's pretty much what you'd expect (especially if you've seen the older film series): an visibly unassuming blind massuer (and master swordsman) cuts it up in a very Kurosawa like storyline involving rival bandits terrorizing a village.

The acting is pretty good (mostly comic). The guy playing the lead role is truly fun to watch.

The only thing that wasn't so great was the CG blood. Alas, some of the sword punctures also look a little fake because of the CG. Still, the blood is there, the violence is quick and catastrophic

The last five minutes of the movie go completely off in a new, unrelated direction (in a way I've never seen a movie do). I don't want to spoil it, but lets just say you probably won't see it coming -though there are hints throughout the movie. Let's just say you'll smile and mutter to yourself "WTF?"

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I saw it three or four months ago. Strange that it was released in Europe first.

Anyway: I think it's a piece of crap, and so thought most of my friends. We're all Kurosawa fans, which kind of explains why we didn't like this film. We were expecting a serious, dramatic, and historically realistic film, and got a sort of of "jidai-geki parody w/ techno music" instead. We were like "WTF?" during the whole thing. Geez, the ending scene with the villagers dancing is sooooo pathetic the director should be shot.

i bought it on dvd at comic-con a few weeks ago. the riverdance ending was so wtf?

just got back from holiday and too tired to type

I already posted my impressions in the other Zatoichi thread not so long ago

http://www.neo-geo.com/forums/showthread.php?t=69460&

I've seen the movie other couple of times and my thought is still the same

The original films (something like 29 of them) are awesome for the most part. Its more about Ichi himself, the movies are very formulaic they just serve as a vehical for Ichi to dispence justice. He is a very likeable character hes mild mannered,kind and seemingly a bumbleing blind masseur. (which he plays up) But he is also a peoples hero fighting corrupt officals and bandits.
The quick action scenes are a charcteristic of a more realistic style of sword fighting.(aside from him being blind) A real sword fight would only last a couple of seconds. In the old movies Ichi used a very recognizable style of swordsmanship.(straight blade/no hilt/held underhand with more puncturing and stabbing instead of fluid slices)

Lovecraft0110 said:

the director should be shot.

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Takeshi Kitano is one of the most gifted directors working today. He shouldn't be shot.

Paul Anderson should be shot.

Amix said:

Takeshi Kitano is one of the most gifted directors working today. He shouldn't be shot.

Paul Anderson should be shot.

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Beat directed it! now I have to see it.

I personally think it is Beat Takeshi's finest film. I think it is perfectly balanced and beats the living crap out of the other films i saw at the time (Last Samurai & Kill Bill).

Unfortunately i missed another samurai film shortly afterwards called 'The Twilight Samurai' which was pretty good i heard.

Anyway, i think that the film's funny moments are genuinely funny and it has some touching moments in it too (the brother and sister practising the dance got a lump in my throat).

I went into the film, whilst familiar with 'the guy playing the lead' films, but i didnt even realise it was out, perhaps that was why it seemed so good?

I think the music was good in the film and at some dramatic points, it reminded me a little of some of music from 'A Clockwork Orange'.

I don't think that the ending was completely out of place and it really got my foot tapping! It was a thoroughly involving and enjoying experience. There were hints earlier in the film anyway of a festival being up coming, and you do have to accept that it is really part of an outro (My favourite outro after F.B. Day off ).

A better example of a WTF ending is the great film 'Dead or Alive' (has one of my favourite intro's in any film, but don't watch the inferior sequel).

May i also make a shout out for another zany film with musical elements - 'The Happiness of the Katakuris' - Think Horror, think Musical!

I get so fed up of Holywood tripe, that stuff like this is very refreshing.

bloodhokuto said:

Unfortunately i missed another samurai film shortly afterwards called 'The Twilight Samurai' which was pretty good i heard.

.

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It's fucking great. It's a good time to watch Twilight then pop in Last Samurai right afterwards; you'll see what I mean if you do.

I love Takeshi Kitano, and I really liked Zatoichi. I bought it like 2-3 months ago and watched it twice. If it plays at a theatre round here, I'll see it again.

I especially really, really liked the ending. Kitano's got balls to do somehting so crazy - it's just his style.

I don't think it's his best film - I enjoyed Sonatine a lot more. Pretty much all of his films are really good although I didn't like Kikujiro very much.

I think it was great to see Takeshi bring his MXC sense of comedy to a more serious role. Overall it was a great remake and the breaks inbetween w/ teh dancetroop was creative and unique. The CG blood left a little something to be desired but thats not the easiest thing to do when you split second kills. My anime club (DAI) got free tickets to it but i would of gladly paid for it.

Amix said:

Takeshi Kitano is one of the most gifted directors working today.

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That was one of my main reasons to see it( since I've only seen like half of one of the older ones ). All in all I thought it was a really good movie( ending and all ), damn shame I had to go on like a freakin' adventure to find a place that shows it yet every theater seemed to have that damn Olsen twins movie.

I always wanted to see this series.
Zatoichi's are fucking insane swords. I bought one recently, though its not a paul chen.

Worst movie I ever seen, it's a disgrace to the Zatoichi legacy.

It was alright. A little slow. (did Takeshi have a stroke? It's like he can't control one eye even during the interviews)

I liked the last Shintaro Zatoichi alot more.

I don't know shit about the history behind these Zatoichi movies, but my buddies and I rented the "Blind Swordsmen" a few nights ago from Blockbuster (it was the most promising thing in the "new releases" section," but the fact that this thread was made several months ago makes me wonder why it was in the new releases section.)

We smoked a lot, we drank a lot, but no amount of substance could save this horrible movie. It was a piece of floating shit. When that blind dude with the blonde hair slashed people it looked like the blood was drawn in afterwards with a colored pencil. The action scenes seemed few and far between and short-lived.

The ending where all those dumb motherfuckers were tap-dancing was probably the funniest thing I've ever scene. Just seeing that Japanese dude who was dressed up as a slut woman, his whore friend, and that huge mass of Japanese dancers doing this ridiculous choreographed scene made me laugh so hard I almost tinkled myself. Fucking laughably bad.

Are all Japanese samurai movies this terrible? What are some good ones (if they're even remotely close to this movie don't even bother listing them)?

SamuraiShodownSensei said:

It was alright. A little slow. (did Takeshi have a stroke? It's like he can't control one eye even during the interviews)

I liked the last Shintaro Zatoichi alot more.

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Kitano's had the facial tic ever since his 1994 moped accident where drunk he feel asleep at the controls and crashed while going to see a girlfriend. It was between his filming of Kids Return and Getting Any, but he didn't show up on film until 1995 where he made a cameo as a psycho homosexual hitman in Takashi Ishii's fucked up crime noir GONIN. I used to run one of the most comprehensive websites to Kitano from '98 until 2001 when I passed the torch to another after losing interests on keeping up with everything he did when after becoming an affiliate sponsor for SPC {Sony Pictures Classics} for the American debut of BROTHER, because they dicked around with his film to ensure an "R" rating. The R2 DVD I already had was a bit different. Anyhow, Kitano forever has had that one eye blink/facial tic... it's really evident in a flashback scene in HANA-BI, but most of the time you don't notice because he always wearing Giorgio Armani shades.

Don't know if you've ever seen his daughter but Shoko Kitano is Hot

MERCENARY X99

I don't know how many of you know this but you can still see some of the other Zatoichi movies on (I)ndependent (F)ilm (C)hannel. IFC shows some sort of "samurai " flick on Saturdays in what they call "Samurai Saturdays" I've been watching it for some time now. I think the last one I saw was "Zatoichi returns" or something that, where he returns to his home villiage. Anyway, great stuff to watch on a lazy saturday afternoon if you have the time and don't mind reading. (it's all in subtitles)

Thanks for blowing the ending FUCFACES!!!!

And the DVD also has Sonatine also right? Not a bad deal. Great movie if you don't like Zatoichi.

I have't watched it yet. I was hoping my Library would purchase a copy.

Anything Kitano made is usualy worth watching.. Or at least since Ever since he started doing dramitc roles.

Artistic
Dramatic
Violent
Toching.

Proably one of the best actors/writes/directors/producers in the world...

Kujurio was beautiful, Brother was a great movie.

we loved the movie when we saw last year and that last little music number is freaking funny

I wonder why Beat Takeshi had blonde hair when he played zatoichi