The Blind Swordsman: Zatoichi (2003)
"Zatôichi" (original title)

The blind masseur/swordsman comes to a town in control of warring gangs, and while bunking with a farming family, he meets two women with their own agenda.

Director:

Takeshi Kitano

Writers:

Takeshi Kitano (screenplay), Kan Shimosawa (novels)

Stars:

Takeshi Kitano, Tadanobu Asano, Michiyo Ohkusu

21 wins & 10 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Takeshi Kitano	...	Zatôichi / Ichi (as Beat Takeshi)
Tadanobu Asano	...	Hattori Genosuke
Michiyo Ohkusu	...	Aunt Oume
Gadarukanaru Taka	...	Shinkichi
Daigorô Tachibana	...	Geisha Seitaro 'Osei' Naruto
Yûko Daike	...	Geisha Okinu Naruto
Yui Natsukawa	...	O-Shino, Hattori's Wife
Ittoku Kishibe	...	Boss Inosuke Ginzo
Saburô Ishikura	...	Boss Tashichi Ogi
Akira Emoto	...	Tavern Owner Pops
Ben Hiura	...	Tavern Gramps
Kohji Miura	...	Lord Sakai
Hideboh	...	Dancing Farmer (as The Stripes)
Ron II	...	Dancing Farmer (as The Stripes)
Suji	...	Dancing Farmer (as The Stripes)

Storyline

Blind Zatoichi makes his living by gambling and giving massages. But behind his humble facade, Zatoichi is a master swordsman, gifted with lightning-fast draw and strokes of breathtaking precision. Zatoichi wanders into a town run by sinister gangs and a powerful samurai. He's destined for violent showdowns when he stumbles on two beautiful geishas avenging their parents' murder... Duels, wit and a touch of zen! Cult anti-hero Zatoichi is back in a sword-fighting adventure written, directed and starring Takeshi Kitano.

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Plot Keywords:

zatoichi | samurai | swordsman | gambling | murder | 

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Taglines:

His Sword Made Him a Hero... His Courage Made Him a Legend. This Summer, Justice is Blind.

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Genres:

Action | Comedy | Crime | Drama | Music

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong stylized bloody violence

Details

Official Sites:

Artificial Eye [uk] BAC Films [fr]

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Release Date:

6 September 2003 (Japan)

Also Known As:

The Blind Swordsman: Zatoichi

Filming Locations:

Eiga-mura, Kanami, Kanae-chô, Fukuyama City, Hiroshima, Japan

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$61,104 (USA) (23 July 2004)

Gross:

$853,718 (USA) (24 September 2004)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Asahi National Broadcasting Company, Bandai Visual Company, DENTSU Music And Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

116 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Kitano said that he wanted the fights to be as realistic as possible, but that he wanted the blood to be extremely exaggerated.

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Quotes

Shinkichi: I'll have a bath.
Geisha Seitaro 'Osei' Naruto: Me, too.
Shinkichi: No! Men first!
Geisha Seitaro 'Osei' Naruto: I am a man!

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Connections

Version of The Tale of Zatoichi (1962)

User Reviews

A absolutely enchanting film!

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.