Zatoichi

Original title: Zatôichi

19891989
Not RatedNot Rated
1h 56m

IMDb RATING

7.1/10

1.8K

YOUR RATING

Action Drama

Older, wiser but still a wandering loner, the blind, peace-loving masseur Ichi seeks a peaceful life in a rural village. When he's caught in the middle of a power struggle between two rival ... Read allOlder, wiser but still a wandering loner, the blind, peace-loving masseur Ichi seeks a peaceful life in a rural village. When he's caught in the middle of a power struggle between two rival Yakuza clans, his reputation as a deadly defender of the innocent is put to the ultimate t... Read allOlder, wiser but still a wandering loner, the blind, peace-loving masseur Ichi seeks a peaceful life in a rural village. When he's caught in the middle of a power struggle between two rival Yakuza clans, his reputation as a deadly defender of the innocent is put to the ultimate test in a series of sword-slashing showdowns.

IMDb RATING

7.1/10

1.8K

YOUR RATING

- Shintarô Katsu
Writers
- Tatsumi Ichiyama(screenplay)
- Shintarô Katsu(screenplay)
- Tsutomu Nakamura(screenplay)
Stars

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Photos56

Shintarô Katsu and Ken Ogata in Zatoichi (1989)

Takashi Ebata and Takanori Jinnai in Zatoichi (1989)

Shintarô Katsu and Toyomi Kusano in Zatoichi (1989)

Storyline

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Did you know

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Trivia
On the morning of Monday 26 December 1988, in the movie village (eiga-mura) located in the mountains of Kanami, Ryûtarô Gan (age 24) - eldest son of Shintarô Katsu - stabbed Yukio Katô (age 34) in the neck with a katana long sword, while performing in an action scene for this film. Katô was taken unconscious to the Okayama University Hospital (Okayama Daigaku Igakubu Fuzoku-byôin), where he died as a result of massive blood loss from the neck wound. Hiroshima Prefectural Police determined that the incident was one of professional negligence causing death (gyômujô-kashitsu chishi).

Alternate versions
Also known as, Zatoichi: Darkness is His Ally

Connections
Follows The Tale of Zatoichi (1962)

Soundtracks
Tsugaru Jongara Bushi
Sung by Kazuko Matsumura

User reviews20

Review

Featured review

7/10

The End of an Era

Zatôichi returns, older but with his samurai attributes better than ever.

This, incidentally, is one of the most criticizable aspects of this film: never has Zatôichi killed so many enemies at the same time as in old age. And by the way, never has so much blood been spilled in a Zatôichi film as in this last one, with Shintarô Katsu, who also writes, produces and directs it. No one expects realism in a martial arts film, but Tarantino was not to be anticipated either.

On another level, it also seemed inappropriate to use a song in English, in a style very from the 80s (slap bass and electronic drums) in the soundtrack of a film set in feudal Japan.

Nevertheless, it is a good film in the series, with a solid, interesting and action-packed plot. And Shintarô Katsu showed himself at an excellent level this last time he dressed the skin of the character he played for 27 years.

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