IMDb > The Blind Swordsman: Zatoichi (2003)
Zatôichi
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The Blind Swordsman: Zatoichi (2003) More at IMDbPro »Zatôichi (original title)

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Overview

User Rating:
7.6/10   31,496 votes »
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Director:
Takeshi Kitano
Writers:
Takeshi Kitano (screenplay)
Kan Shimosawa (novels)
Contact:
View company contact information for The Blind Swordsman: Zatoichi on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
6 September 2003 (Japan) See more »
Genre:
Action | Comedy | Crime | Drama | Music See more »
Tagline:
His Sword Made Him a Hero... His Courage Made Him a Legend. This Summer, Justice is Blind.
Plot:
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. Full summary » | Add synopsis »
Plot Keywords:
See more »
Awards:
21 wins & 10 nominations See more »
NewsDesk:
(20 articles)
Takeshi Kitano’s ‘Outrage’ Red Band Trailer
 (From Slash Film. 21 October 2011, 4:00 PM, PDT)
Landmark’S Nuart Theatre Announces Fall-Winter Schedule
 (From WeAreMovieGeeks.com. 28 September 2011, 3:42 PM, PDT)
Trailer - Takeshi Kitano's Cannes Entry, 'Outrage'
 (From Get The Big Picture. 18 April 2010, 3:23 PM, PDT)
User Reviews:
Breaking all the Rules See more (176 total) »

Cast

  (in credits order)

Takeshi Kitano ... Zatôichi / Ichi (as Beat Takeshi)

Tadanobu Asano ... Hattori Genosuke
Michiyo Ôkusu ... 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)
Noriyasu ... Dancing Farmer (as The Stripes)
Makoto Ashikawa ... Carpenter
Tsumami Edamame ... Carpenter
Kosuke Ohta ... Carpenter
Yoshiyuki Morishita ... Carpenter
Naomasa Musaka ... Yakuza Boss on the Country Road
Shoken Kunimoto ... Rival Swordsman
Daigaku Sekine ... Ginzo's Henchman I
Koji Koike ... Boss Funahachi
Koji Kiryu ... Dice Dealer at Funahachi's Joint
Taigi Kobayashi ... Funahachi's Bodyguard
Ayano Yoshida ... Young O-Kinu
Taichi Saotome ... Young O-Sei (Seitaro)
Kanji Tsuda ... Playboy at Home
Ikki Goto ... Kuchinawa Underling 1
Yoshio Nakamura ... Kuchinawa Underling 3
Hiroaki Noguchi ... Kuchinawa Underling 5
Shinichi Nakatsu ... Kuchinawa Underling 2
Toru Yonezu ... Kuchinawa Underling 4
P. Man ... Tavern Customer 4
Al Kitago ... Farmer Boy 1
Omiya no Matsu ... Farmer Boy 2
Tsutomu Takeshige ... Farmer Boy 4
Gambino Kobayashi ... Farmer Boy 5
Sammy Moremore Jr. ... Farmer Boy 6
Muhomatsu ... Farmer Boy with a Spear
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Yasushi Higuchi
Ryûki Kitaoka
Isao Ogura
Masayoshi Ohzeki
Kenji Takechi ... Yakuza
Yôji Tanaka
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Directed by
Takeshi Kitano 
 
Writing credits
Takeshi Kitano (screenplay)

Kan Shimosawa (novels)

Produced by
Shinji Komiya .... line producer
Jack Maeby .... producer (English language version)
Masayuki Mori .... producer: Office Kitano
Chieko Saitô .... planner
Tsunehisa Saitô .... producer: Saitô Entertainment
Masanori Sanada .... co-producer
Takio Yoshida .... co-producer
 
Original Music by
Keiichi Suzuki 
 
Cinematography by
Katsumi Yanagijima 
 
Film Editing by
Takeshi Kitano 
Yoshinori Ohta 
 
Casting by
Takefumi Yoshikawa 
 
Production Design by
Norihiro Isoda 
 
Costume Design by
Yohji Yamamoto 
 
Makeup Department
Kakusei Fujiwara .... special makeup effects artist
 
Production Management
Kensei Mori .... production manager
 
Sound Department
Senji Horiuchi .... sound designer
Akira Nakano .... sound recordist
Kenji Shibazaki .... sound effects
 
Camera and Electrical Department
Hitoshi Takaya .... lighting director
Toshio Watanabe .... still photographer
 
Costume and Wardrobe Department
Kazuko Kurosawa .... costume supervisor
 
Other crew
Marc Handler .... voice director: English version
Marc Handler .... writer: English version
Hideboh .... choreographer: tap dancing (as The Stripes)
Richard Lormand .... publicist: international
Noriyasu .... choreographer: tap dancing (as The Stripes)
Ron II .... choreographer: tap dancing (as The Stripes)
Haru Shôbara .... script supervisor
Suji .... choreographer: tap dancing (as The Stripes)
 

Production CompaniesDistributorsSpecial EffectsOther Companies
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Additional Details

Also Known As:
"Zatôichi" - Japan (original title)
"Takeshi Kitano's Zatoichi" - International (English title) (informal title)
"Zatoichi" - International (English title)
See more »
MPAA:
Rated R for strong stylized bloody violence
Parents Guide:
View content advisory for parents
Runtime:
116 min
Country:
Japan
Language:
Japanese
Color:
Color
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 See more »
Sound Mix:
Dolby Digital
Certification:
Argentina:16 | Australia:MA | Canada:14A | Chile:14 | Finland:K-18 | France:-12 | Germany:16 | Hong Kong:III | Ireland:18 | Italy:T | Japan:R-15 | Netherlands:16 | New Zealand:R16 | Norway:18 | Peru:14 | Philippines:R-13 | Singapore:NC-16 | South Korea:15 | Spain:13 | Switzerland:14 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Vaud) | UK:18 | USA:R | Switzerland:16 (canton of Zurich) | Brazil:18 | Canada:18A (Ontario) | Iceland:16 | Portugal:M/16 | Argentina:13 (DVD rating) | Sweden:15
Filming Locations:
Eiga-mura, Kanami, Kanae-chô, Fukuyama City, Hiroshima, JapanSee more »
Company:
Asahi National Broadcasting CompanySee more »

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.See more »
Quotes:
Shinkichi:Aren't you betting?
Zatôichi:I'll just watch for now.
Shinkichi:Watch? But you're blind!
See more »
Movie Connections:
Referenced in Zombie Girl: The Movie (2009)See more »

FAQ

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User Reviews

   (Review this title)
10 out of 14 people found the following review useful.
Breaking all the Rules, 9 August 2004
Author: eric_cason from Tokyo, Japan

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.

Was the above review useful to you?
See more (176 total) »

Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for The Blind Swordsman: Zatoichi (2003)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
Aunte Oume............ LastAvailableUsername
How would you kill Zatoichi? TheCrowFan84
Showdown between Ronin + Zatoichi an anticlimax alex_barley
Did somebody noticed in the dance scene....... simonasidorin
Name top 5 samurai flicks you've seen LoneWolf6
Shintaro Katsu is rolling around in his grave hooligan17
See more »

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