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

Director:

Takeshi Kitano

Writers:

Takeshi Kitano (screenplay)
Kan Shimosawa (novels)

Release Date:

6 September 2003 (Japan)

Genre:

Action | Comedy | Crime | Drama | Music

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.

Plot Keywords:

Zatoichi | Samurai | Bodyguard | Ronin | Swordsman

Awards:

21 wins & 10 nominations

Cast

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)
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

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 Companies

• Asahi National Broadcasting Company
• Bandai Visual Company
• DENTSU Music And Entertainment
• Office Kitano
• Saitô Entertainment
• TV Asahi
• Tokyo FM Broadcasting Co.

Distributors

• Shochiku Company (2003) (Japan)
• Office Kitano (2003) (Japan)
• Celluloid Dreams (2003) (worldwide) (all media) (sales)
• Artificial Eye (2004) (UK) (theatrical)
• Bac Films (2003) (France) (theatrical)
• Bright Angel Distribution (2004) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• Buena Vista International (2005) (Argentina) (theatrical)
• Concorde Filmverleih (2004) (Germany) (theatrical)
• Frenetic Films (2003-2004) (Switzerland) (theatrical)
• Lighthouse Pictures (2004) (Singapore) (theatrical)
• Mikado (2003) (Italy) (theatrical)
• Miramax Films (2004) (USA) (theatrical) (subtitled)
• Sandrew Metronome Distribution Sverige AB (2004) (Sweden) (theatrical)
• Sandrew Metronome Distribution (2004) (Finland) (theatrical)
• Shu Kei's Creative Workshop Ltd. (2004) (Hong Kong) (theatrical)
• A-Film Home Entertainment (2004) (Netherlands) (DVD) (VHS)
• Artificial Eye (2004) (UK) (DVD)
• Buena Vista Home Entertainment (BVHE) (2009) (USA) (DVD) (Blu-ray)
• Buena Vista Home Entertainment (2005) (Brazil) (DVD)
• Buena Vista Home Entertainment (2005) (Brazil) (VHS)
• Concorde Home Entertainment (2004) (Germany) (DVD)
• Gativideo (2005) (Argentina) (DVD)
• Gativideo (2005) (Argentina) (VHS)
• Panorama Distributions (2004) (Hong Kong) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2004) (Switzerland) (DVD)

Special Effects

• Nippon Effect Center (visual effects)

Other Companies

• Aoi Studio  post-production sound services
• Bella Vista Sakaigahama  location cooperation
• Continental Far East  Dolby consultant
• Dreamusic  music production
• Egalite Moonriders Division  music production
• Elements (II)  extras
• Entertainment Partners Asia  cooperation (as EP Asia)
• Fukuyama New Castle Hotel  location cooperation
• Half H-P Studio  foley design
• Ibaraki Film Commission  film commission
• JFCT  extras
• Japan Action Enterprise Co. Ltd.  extras
• KM Cinema  extras
• Kodak Japan  film stock supplied by
• Miroku no Sato  location cooperation
• Mitsuki Hachimanguu  location cooperation
• NAC Image Technology  camera equipment supplied by
• Nihon Shomei Co.  lighting equipment supplied by
• Office Kitano  music production
• Segovia Golf Club  location cooperation
• Shonai Film Village Co.  location service
• Shu Tokki  grip equipment supplied by
• Tokyo Laboratory Co. Ltd.  film processing
• Warp Station Edo  exterior sets
• Yoshikawa Casting Office  casting

Also Known As:

"Zatôichi" - Japan (original title)
"Takeshi Kitano's Zatoichi" - International (English title) (informal title)
"Zatoichi" - International (English title)

MPAA:

Rated R for strong stylized bloody violence

Runtime:

116 min

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Switzerland:16 (canton of Zurich) | Brazil:18 | Canada:18A (Ontario) | Iceland:16 | Portugal:M/16 | Argentina:13 (DVD rating) | Sweden:15 | 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

Filming Locations:

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

Company:

Asahi National Broadcasting Company

Trivia:

The dance sequence at the end of the film features all of the villagers, but not the villains. Zatôichi, however, is not there. Writer/director Takeshi Kitano's reason for not including Zatôichi into the sequence was because he felt that Zatôichi was more of a villain.

Quotes:

Zatôichi:Even with my eyes wide open I can't see a thing.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Resident Evil: Extinction (2007)

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.