Shin Zatôichi monogatari: Oreta tsue

Zatoichi in Desperation is the twenty-fourth entry in the Japanese franchise about the blind masseur, skilled swordsman and lowly yakuza with the strong moral compass. The film is the first to be directed by leading actor Shintaro Katsu. This movie starts in an unusual way as Zatoichi comes across an old woman who plays the shamisen. They cross a dilapidated bridge and have a short conversation. Zatoichi wants to give the old woman some money but she slips and falls to her death. Zatoichi feels responsible for the terrible accident and decides to visit the old woman's daughter who turns out to be a manipulative prostitute. The blind yakuza still wants to help and buy her freedom. In order to get the fifty ryo to buy her freedom, he goes to a gambling house where he gets in conflict with the local boss and his mob. The criminals are aware of Zatoichi's identity which is also the case for a wandering swordsman and a group of thugs who all want to earn the bounty on his head. In his search for forgiveness, the blind masseur soon has to fight off yakuza, swordsmen and criminals and has to deal with a prostitute whom he cannot trust.

There are a few interesting elements about this movie. First of all, the movie features some psychedelic flashbacks, supported with funky music that make the influence of the seventies' cultural trends quite obvious. Secondly, the locations are quite intriguing as the story takes place in a small town by the sea and shows the rough everyday life of exploited fishermen. Thirdly, Zatoichi gets severely injured in this movie and has to use a new technique to fight off his numerous enemies in a stunning fight sequence in the sandy town.

Despite these fresh elements, the film also has considerable downsides. The characters are neither fleshed out nor sympathetic which leads to the problem that one only cares about Zatoichi's fate. The plot starts interestingly but slows down and wastes a lot of time through a tedious middle section. The final duel between Zatoichi and a swordsman lasts for about ten seconds and looks ridiculous. Several parts of the movie feel rushed and the unusual shaky camera work makes it look like a low quality entry in the franchise.

Overall, Zatoichi in Desperation is among the weaker entries in the franchise. It has a few fresh ideas concerning camera work, score and special effects but the story and characters are too uninteresting to be memorable. I would only recommend this film to fans of old date. Those who aren't familiar with the blind swordsman yet should either start discovering the movies in chronological order or give Takeshi Kitano's version a chance.

I've seen 23 of the 26 films in the series (not including the Kitano) and this is by far the hardest to watch. It is less about Zatoichi and more about the cruelty and hardship of living in poverty in a fishing village in Edo era Japan. The film dwells very much upon the secondary characters as ends unto themselves and not just as elements in a story setting up a problem which Zatoichi will eventually resolve. Zatoichi acts as you would expect him to but he is overwhelmed by the misery and circumstances in a way that is unique in the series. Watch it by all means, but not with a light heart. I found myself also overwhelmed by the misery depicted in the film. It is unsettling.

It started up well, yet, at a certain point the script turned to a level of imbecility comparable with a big studio US creation. Well, compared with the level of the US Academy this can easily can take an Oscar for best script.

On the other hand this movie achieves something almost unique. The visual style is so unusual (especially for somebody used with the standard blockbuster) that both makes the film unforgettable and hard to watch. In my opinion this is what Mean Streets and The Killing of a Chinese Bookie should have looked like if the tech team involved would have been skilled enough. The gambling scene alone makes Rounders look like a half baked high-school project (which is not far from the truth anyway).

A 6 for cramming so much into this movie. You have a social message, the indolence of the rich (the young watching the fishermen's boats burn), the unromaticised noblemen, etc.

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Zatoichi in Desperation is the most somber and darkest Zatoichi film that I have seen in the series, both in terms of photography and plot. It's interesting that Shintaro Katsu, who plays Zatoichi, was the director. He was certainly going for a different look and style and got it. Most of the scenes are darkly lit and there is a claustrophobic feeling to the shots. The bad guys, composed of the local yakuza (gangster) mob, are meaner than usual and the body count of innocent villagers is far higher than usual. Zatoichi himself also suffers more at the hands of the evil doers than usual. This was the next to last entry (#24) in the series before the 17 year hiatus between #25 and 26. Things get back into the more typical Zatoichi style in #25. This film would have been appropriate as the last in the series. It has the feeling of "an ending". A very interesting entry, but not one of my favorites. As always, recommended for Zatoichi fans.

Katsu Productions was at a high level of output at this time. Katsu was producing the Zatoichi series, the Lone Wolf series, the Hanzo the Razor trilogy, the Mute Samurai television series and the Lone Wolf television series. All within a span of two years. In addition to acting in several of these efforts (of course) he also took the director's chair on several occasions. This man had a lot of energy.

While sometimes actors who take the helm show a lack of concern with the visuals preferring to focus on the performances, Katsu is an exception. The visual style here is unlike any other Zatoichi I've seen and in fact unlike most other chambara films. Everything is shot in deep focus with moody lighting and stark saturated colors. The style is somber and depressing. The next (and last in the series) Zatoichi film is back to the standard look. If you like this film I would suggest looking into Katsu's Oshi Samurai series which continues the atmosphere.

One of the best Zatoichi films but not similar to the others. Recommended but prepare for a somber experience.