User Reviews

Zatoichi is the updated version of cult Japanese show some decades back.Here a blind swordsman goes to a small town controlled by a ruthless gang and abuses the people there. There he meets many characters like the siblings on a mission, a samurai who is hired by the gang, as well as an unlucky gambler who befriends the blind swordsman.

This is the first ever Takeshi Kitano film I have ever seen and I got to say it turned out to be a rather pleasant surprise. Prior to this I have heard so much about Kitano's work and was really expecting to see a really good film. Add to that every samurai film I see normally gets compared to Kurosawa's works like Rashomon, and Ran which of course are tough acts to follow. I thought the film was well made in many aspects. The cinematography was really beautiful and well made. The costumes like most period films were finely crafted and were beautiful. The scoring was also very good.

I always find it rather hard to laugh in a film that is non-English. I guess I always believed that humour doesn't always transcend different cultures. What may be funny for one may seem rather dull in another. This film however debunks that thought. I found myself laughing over a lot of scenes in the film. Even in scenes where you do not think there could be a funny moment Kitano is able to deliver one just to break the tension a little.

The fight scenes in this film were also well planned and I though it was done realistically but not necessarily done to shock the audiences with bucket loads of blood and mangled body parts. It was effective but not too disturbing.

I also thought that the overall story of the film was good. I was particularly interested with the story of the siblings and it's eventual resolution at the end of the movie.

Takeshi Kitano's Zatoichi is a great film which now ranks as one of my and hopefully it will be to other people. I'm already anticipating the next film from this great film and will also look for some of his earlier works.

This is a strange one, a drama/comedy/action film with absurdist overtones. In Japan, Zatoichi is a cult character who was the subject of 26 feature films between 1963 and 1989. Now director "Beat" Takeshi – best known for Hana Bi – introduces Zatoichi to a new generation. Takeshi also stars as Zatoichi, the elderly masseur and dice gambler whose hearing is so acute he can detect which side a die has fallen. He's a master swordsman, too – one slice and you're diced.

Supporting characters include two beautiful geishas avenging their parents' death, a farmer and her drunkard nephew, the gangsters running the town and a masterless samurai (an impressive performance from Tadanobu Asano).

The Blind Swordsman is great fun, although it could do with a tighter structure. And I was shocked by the spectacular tap-dancing finale – in traditional Japanese dress and shoes! ***½/***** stars.

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!

The story of the blind swordsman Zatoichi should be well known to most aficionados of Japanese cinema. I was thrilled when i heard that Takeshi Kitano (of all people) would be making a re-make of the classic series. And i was not disappointed.

The blind masseur/swordsman Zatoichi stumbles upon a lone widow when he comes walking in the countryside. He helps her carry a basket and she tells him of her problems while he is invited to stay with her. The local town is plagued by a war between different criminal factions and the protection rates are constantly going up. Soon two geishas also arrive in town with their own agenda, linked to one of the warring gangs.

Zatoichi is a beautiful film in my opinion. Everything from photography and scenery to music is exceptionally well tuned to the mood of the film. Also the action sequences are very well made, the fencing well choreographed and nicely shot. What distracted me somewhat though is the use of liquid animation for the blood. There is almost no usual fake blood in this movie, rather it's liquid animation-blood spraying when people are stabbed. This looks odd, but it's still a minor distraction.

Zatoichi feels both like a nice tribute to 60's and 70's samurai-films as well as a fresh take on the genre. Both modern and classic, which is one of the finest compliments i feel you can give a movie like this one. I enjoyed it very much and i rate it 7/10.

Kitano's update on the legacy of one of Japan's most iconic cinematic figures is an exhilarating watch, the more tender moments conflicted by a barrage of bloody violence. Takeshi remains true to his source, undergoing the sedate transformation to play the blind swordsman and part time masseuse Zatoichi himself, as well as co-ordinating the action. His purists will no doubt abhor the witty sense of fun laid on thick in certain characters (a gambling sidekick and an insane neighbour) and the little nuances of irreverent genius (a drum dancing soundtrack and a ho-down finale orchestrated by Japanese dance troupe 'the Stripes'), but this isn't the Yakuza bloodletting of his earlier films, rather a more charming reflection on feudal life, with a distinct post-modern twist. Further confirmation of this is provided by Takeshi's story, which focuses more on the plight of two avenging Geishas (one male) hunting for the prestigious killers of their parents, rather than the motivation for our titular hero, yet Zatoichi does leap into action when he agrees to assist the siblings. Each frame is a Kurosawa-esquire masterstroke. This is Zatoichi for a new era, and with such a breathtaking start, it will be hard for Kitano not to return to his new-found alter ego any time soon.

What more is there to say? Zatoichi is a class act, all the way. Time and time again Takeshi Kitano proves himself an honorable, direct, and honest filmmaker. There is no whiff of pretense, nonsense, or any other kind of malodorous sense emanating from this film. All is well when you enter into one of Beat Takeshi's film worlds. It puts all of Western cinema to deep shame, for its trite, condescending, and totally vapid worldviews. That Beat Takeshi is so well-regarded in France and Italy speaks well of cultural refinement of these nations. And to find so few reviews of Takeshi's work in the Western media exposures a gaping void in everybody's understanding of the Eastern hemisphere. The sensible, sane, and helpful ideals of Confucianism permeate this film to its very core. Overall, Zatoichi is essential viewing for anyone who would like to consider themselves even remotely human.

The movie centers on Zaitochi , a swordsman who helps and saves hapless villagers . He's a ¨Ronin¨, a samurai without master . He will have to face a villain and a nasty gang . In the movie there is noisy action , Japan sword fights , high body count , emotion, violence and lots of gore because of the murders are pretty savage . The blood in the film has been described by many as being "too CGI". Kitano did this intentionally , wanting to "soften the shock to the audience" due to the brutal massacres . Kitano told the CGI artist he wanted the blood to "look like flowers blossoming across the screen" . The fighting stage is similar to ¨Kill Bill¨ saga . Kitano said that he wished the struggles to be as realistic as possible, but that he wanted the blood to be extremely exaggerated . The runtime film is overlong and results to be slow moving in spite of the fights , which are fast moving and breathtaking , but the motion picture is a little boring. Two hours and some are a bit tiring . The picture obtained much success around the world and specially in Japan .

Interpretation and direction by Takeshi Kitano is riveting , it's his best film . The ending confrontation between the starring and the enemies is overwhelming and impressive . The final dance set piece is a tribute to many of the popular Japanese movies, in which the Hollywood-style happy ending was followed by a sudden "burst into song" , as Kitano wanted to attempt this , but in a different type of way . Kitano combined traditional Kabuki theatre clog-dancing with "the latest African-American tap style" . This dance sequence features all of the villagers, but not the villains , the reason for not including Zatôichi into the sequence was because Kitano felt that he was more of a villain than a good man . Film will appeal to strong emotions lovers and Takeshi Kitano fans. Rating: 6,5/10 . Good .

What a fantastic return to form for Japanese director and creative renaissance man, Takeshi Kitano. Zatoichi excels because of its break with conventions, mixing humour, dance, slapstick, and theatre with an otherwise tense and violent plot. This film breaks the art-house tradition by going for the jugular with its entertainment value, yet it never stoops to the level of Hollywood triteness. Some may complain about how this Zatoichi isn't consistent with the original Zatoichi, but that was done by design. Kitano set out to create his own story, his own character, and his own version - simply using the legend of Zatoichi as the most basic blueprint from which to start. He deserves credit for creating something new and innovative, even when working with an old story. The dance scene at the end is phenomenal and very directly (and intentionally) reminds movie goers that you are there to be entertained. The best film I've seen this year and among Kitano's best, and that's saying a lot.

When an actress friend of Shitaro Katsu, the original Zatoichi, asked Takeshi to take on the role, as the new Zatoichi, he hesitated to do it. Shitaro Katsu was the only one to play the character since it's creation. And he is inseparably and indelibly ingrained in Japanese culture as The One & Only Zatoichi. Takeshi agree to do it, but only if he could do it his own way. That's just what he did. With dance troupe extras, a cross-dressing geisha, and a Zatoichi who isn't completely blind, with bleached hair and a bright red sword cane. Look for Tadanobu Asano from the over-the-top gangster flick, "Ichi The Killer", again playing a Yakuza Boss, only this time from the tradition samurai period -- Though this is anything but a traditional Samurai Film. Takeshi plays it mostly for laughs with buckets of CGI blood.

Takeshi Kitano is one of my favorite directors and is one of the inspirations of my style of writing. . None of the quick over editing and shaky camera of most American productions, But also none of the fast hard hitting punchs of The Raid. Just elegant quick sword swipes. It's quite sight to watch.

This film is to be viewed with tolerance - grumpy or those people who think all samurai films are serious: NEED not apply.

KNOW that it is a humorous film.

KNOW that there are quirky musical/dance sections.

KNOW that when you think "ah this might be a flashback scene" IT IS NOT. The flashback scenes are very obviously introduced by for example a character telling a story of their past..or staring into the distance in deep thought about their past.

KNOW that the translating in the subtitles is not accurate at times, which will not spoil your enjoyment of the film it will just mean that you don't laugh when you should, and you do laugh when you shouldn't AND most importantly You will be confused (or have the wrong interpretation) of the ending.

Everyone is different, my vote 7/10

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.

There was lots of CGI blood flying around, would have preferred real fake blood. The story was confusing but the bits of it that I understood were really good and interesting. The ending was full of stuff happening. For all of the blood there wasn't much violence like people heads being ripped apart and the like. Worth watching and enjoyable fantasy film full of culture, that needs concentration. I love the musical montage bits and they actually fit into the story and the world. Fantastic film with brilliant characters and wonderful musical interludes... also blood!

I just finished watching this film and am surprised that it has received such a good rating on IMDb. The first problem I had was with the Zatoichi character. Zatoichi played originally by Shintaro Katsu, was humble, had a subtle humour, the seemingly bungling master swordsman. This to me is what made him a memorable character. This new Zatoichi is simply ruthless with little of the honour he should have, seems to look for a fight, doesn't speak much, has no humanity and therefore is hard to warm up to.

The plot was my second problem. Those who enjoy the original films or TV series know that one of the best things about them is how the plots are well crafted... Zatoichi 2003 was not even close in this respect.

Third was the shoddy secondary character development. For instance we were introduced to the "bodyguard" and his ailing wife and we want to sympathize with them, but then the film went nowhere with their development to make us feel anything for them. The big internal conflict in the viewer when Zatoichi meets the bodyguard in combat should be: how will I feel if this guy, who is just trying to make money to heal his sick wife, is cut down? Going into this fight, the answer is... well, not much.

Fourth was the absolutely ridiculous modern tap hip-hop dance sequence at the end - what was that about?!? Embarrassing and completely out of step with the rest of the film.

Also of note, I was under the impression this was set in the 16th century, but a revolver was pulled in one scene. A small thing but it bothered me.

One the whole very disappointing, as a film in general and especially when compared to the originals.

It's a kind of "what the hell" type of movie, as in "what the hell, let's throw in a dance scene," as in "what the hell, let's play with 50 years of mythology' as in 'what the hell is an action movie really?" I liked it. It had a desert dry humor about it, the action scenes were amazing (yes, the blood is supposed to look fake!) and I just liked the shear audacity of it all. Kitano made a crowd pleasing action film with out sacrificing his art. It isn't the plot that makes this one go, it's Kitano's refusal to play to anyones expectations. It's not a perfect movie, but it's amazing to watch a film maker at the top of his game just showing off for his own selfish pleasure.

The blind masseur and former samurai Zatôichi (Takeshi Kitano) is drifting and arrives in a small village dominated by three tyrannical lords, Inosuke Ginzo (Ittoku Kishibe), Tashichi Ogi (Saburo Ishikura) and Funahachi (Koji Koike). He helps an old woman and she lodges him at her home. Zatôichi gambles and the old lady's nephew, a complete loser, becomes close to him and Zatôichi helps him in the bets. They meet the geishas Seitaro 'Osei' Naruto (Daigorô Tachibana) and Okinu Naruto (Yuuko Daike), actually a brother and a sister that have been chasing the killers of their parents, Inosuke, Tashichi and Kuchinawa, for ten years seeking revenge. When the ronin Shinkichi (Gadarukanaru Taka) offers his service of bodyguard to Ginzo, the boss decide to destroy the Funachi gang and join to Ogi later. But Zatôichi decides to help the village and get rid off the criminals.

"Zatôichi" is a good movie of Takeshi Kitano visibly inspired in "Sanjuro", of Master Akira Kurosawa. The gore story has adventure, excellent choreography in the sword fights and lots of humor; there is a samurai without a master offering his services of bodyguard to a gang in a small town; and in the end, the gangs are destroyed; therefore there are many points very similar to Sanjuro. The parallel plots are well constructed and the cinematography is very beautiful, highlighting the blood in the sword fights. My vote is nine.

Title (Brazil): "Zatoichi"

It is fantastic movie. I surprised that actors plays "Batto-Jutsu" which uses Japanese swords and battles with enemy. It is Japanese traditional act, but I had never seen such a beautiful and cool act. It is action and a period film. However, it is little grotesque because there are bloody scene in it, so I was little scary. The director is Takeshi Kitano. This movie is full of entertainment and some scene like musical. Actors dance tap dance with wearing "Geta" which is Japanese traditional shoes. It was amazing. I like that musical scene. Very rhythmical and powerful scene will make people enjoyable. I recommend to watch it not only Japanese people but also foreigner. I think this movie holds Japanese traditions and new entertainment.

beat takeshi's tribute to shintaro katsu has been a little controversial as one could have predicted. The final entry of the series, directed by shintaro katsu himself, was also controversial, since it is the bloodiest, most uncompromising, and most swiftly paced of that series, presenting us with pretty raw film with some unsettling themes. - ultimately, zatoichi leaves the world pretty much as corrupted by yakusa as he first finds it.

takeshi's zatoichi comes to us very stylized - blond, with clean clothes, a very neatly crafted sword cane. The violence is augmented by CGI blood spurting (in the documentary accompanying the film on DVD, takeshi is frank that he wanted the blood to look a little phony). And then there is the dance segment at the end, foreshadowed throughout the film by rhythmic natural sounds of men and women at work.

After trying to get a hold on this film and its clearly complex relationship to the original series, through multiple viewings of the film, I think I've finally grasped that the dance sequence is really the heart of the whole film. no matter what you think of it in relationship to the rest of the film, it's extremely entertaining ; so, perhaps that's all we need to know about this film - perhaps it's all we need to know about the original zatoichi series as well.

There is a strange question that recurs again and again in Takeshi's films - what do we do to entertain ourselves when death is near, and there's neither need nor possibility of accomplishing anything with a purpose? In most of Takeshi's films, the proper response to that question is to live life like a circus. Here, obviously, salvation is to be found in dance. I'm not sure that these answers are satisfactory; but the question is too disturbing to ignore.

This is the second Zatoichi film I watched after Zatoichi vs the One Armed Swordsman.. it was better than the one I watched earlier.. a lot of scene with added CGI make it better although the CGI might be dodgy or low budget but all it lacks he make it up in acting.. the plot is Zatoichi saves the small village terrorised by two Yakuza clan and the Naruto family vengeance by both brothers and Sisters act as geisha... every character depicted in the movie is interesting from the Ronin to the aunt... initially I was going to rate the movie 8 but the closing act of dancing and the song make me rate it a bit higher.

The over-exaggerated stories of the violence in Takeshi Kitano's latest film Zatoichi nearly put me off going to see it. Yet, since Kitano's Dolls is among my favourites, I made up my mind and summoning all my strength, pressed the play button of my DVD. Was it worth it? Well, I wasn't disappointed for sure. With animated blood spilt lavishly on the screen, the violence was presented in a comic Kill Bill sort of way. So, one is allowed to focus on the story behind what's happening on screen. After all, Zatoichi is not a horror film, right? To my greatest delight, all of the things I love about Kitano's directing were there - the precise shots, the interesting fighting sequences and the original interpretation of traditional symbols (the blindness) and characters (the ronin, the geisha). Yet, I think the film is emotionally poor compared to Dolls and the other Kitano classics. I turned off my DVD knowing I might not have seen the best Kitano (and Japanese cinema) had to offer, but still re-playing in my mind some of the scenes with a grin of guilty pleasure on my face.

This film, directed by Takeshi Kitano, is a lot of fun in that it combines the best of the Japanese style comics and brings it to the screen. This is a film for the strong hearted, as some parts are bloody beyond belief, at least for western audiences.

Mr. Kitano is his own leading man. He is wise beyond his blindness. He can see right through an enemy. He is a splendid expert in master arts and gives a mean massage, should anyone contemplate a rub down by this Zatoichi-san.

The film is high camp as we finally arrive at the last sequence where we are treated to the best tap dancing in the world. Zatoichi becomes a kind of Lord of the Rings with a Japanese flavor.

Bravo Takeshi Kitano!

OK, everyone loves this flick and I can see why, to a degree. We all know the fights are pretty stunning. But bloody sword battles do not make a movie/ As a major fan of the old Zatoichi series I am terribly disappointed. I went into this film with expectations. I expected the film to revisit the original series at every turn. I wanted to see Ichi cheat at gambling with the old "dice falling out of the sleeve" trick. I wanted to see him use his blindness to make people think he was weak, then punish them for taking advantage. I wanted to see him drinking hard, womanizing, and stuffing his face as often as possible. I expected him to be robust and handsome with a deep growling voice, just like the original. Instead, who did they have attempt to fill the shoes of Katsu Shintaro? An aged nobody with a feeble voice and distorted stroke-face.

The plot was weak as water. The movie was smattered with meaningless characters who provided neither humor nor serious plot device.. The retarded man who dreamed of being a samurai never did anything useful.. How cool would it have been if he showed up at just the right time to save someone's butt with his spear, and subsequently get slaughtered? It would be shocking and he would have died a hero, satisfying a samurai movie fan's lust for chivalrous self-sacrifice from the characters. The poor gambler who befriends Ichi is useless and unlikable as well. They spend endless time showing his attempt to build gambling skills, which he fails at.... and that's the end of that. WOW. That's what I call pointless. Then he gets a wild hare and wants to dress like a geisha for no apparent reason other than to put him in drag for "comic" purposes.

The camera-work was really horrible.. My main complaint was closeups where there should not have been closeups, going to reaction shots when what we wanted to see was action, starting out with a lovely angle that cuts away too fast to enjoy it.. The camera work threatens to be brilliant over and over and fails each time.

The film also insults your intelligence by providing flashbacks to scenes that happened less than a minute ago. They hand obvious facts on a platter, apparently to cater to the very least intelligent among us.

The back story of the brother and sister team on a mission for revenge brings up issues for me as well.. When their attempts to rob Ichi and his incompetent gambler friend are stopped, they suddenly tell their entire life story and plot for revenge, and then they are now all boone companions... That, in my book, makes no sense whatsoever.

And last but not least, the festival. WHAT? Ancient Japanese tap dancing? We are treated to some bizarre combination of River Dance and Stomp set to vaguely Japanese sounding music. While three men dressed like Peter Pan are tap dancing, they show all our friends from the movie there with them, and apparently they've been taking choreographed dance lessons when not slaving away as peasants under yakuza rule... And what's better, they all know to face the camera!! That doesn't look like a festival, it looks like a stage show at the holiday inn. GIVE ME A BREAK. The festival scene absolutely destroyed the tone of the movie, and was highly reminiscent of the way you end a children's movie or a cartoon.

This movie shames Zatoichi fans as well as the Japan's rich film history. The writers would need to commit seppuku to regain their honor. Long story short, real Zatoichi fans will be repulsed by this film. Steer Clear!!