Zatôichi kesshô-tabi

(1964)The Blind Swordsman: Fight, Zatoichi, Fight (In Japanese with English subtitles) ACTION/ COMEDY

One of the best Blind Sworsdman film so far since the scenes are relatable, and the most touching movies to date meaning that it's exactly what anyone else would do if they were ever in his shoes and is one of and the most touching movies to date putting Zatoichi into a complicated situation when he stumbles onto a dead mother holding a parentless infant with papers and his determination in returning him to his natural father. The director of this film by the name of Kenji Misumi on to direct the violent "Lonewolf and Cub" series which are also excellent as well also using the theme of the traveling swordsman protecting his young toddler. Director John Woo may have gotten the idea of using this baby notion toward the end of his Hardboiled film from watching this one as well as other Misumi movies.

This entry in the series is highly recommended. I often recommend this as the first film in the series that friends and family view. Katsu Shintaro is fantastic in this film. At one point in the film, Zatoichi tells someone that he has never been happier, and the audience already knows that because of Katsu's fine acting. This is not the only film where Katsu shares the camera lens with a child. Katsu obviously loves children and their presence lightens the mood of these films.

The emphasis in this film is drama. There is less sword fighting, so if your interest in the series is purely for the fighting sequences, move on to another entry. For all others who enjoy a mixture of drama and action, this is a fantastic film that is sure to bring some moisture to your eyes.

Just as an aside, I don't know how the international English title became Fight, Zatoichi, Fight. The Japanese Kanji literally mean Zatoichi Blood Smile Travel, giving the feeling of both violence and happiness.

Fight, Zatoichi, Fight is the eighth entry in the franchise and one of the most unusual movies in the series. In the beginning of the movie, a young woman who is on her way to her husband with her infant son gets mistakenly killed by a group of samurai who are actually chasing Zatoichi. The blind masseur decides to take the baby of the deceased mother to its father who is living in an isolated village about sixty-five miles away. On his way, Zatoichi teams up with a kleptomaniac prostitute who helps him nurse the child. However, the samurai are still chasing Zatoichi and have identified the presence of the baby as a potential weakness of the blind masseur. As if that weren't enough, Zatoichi must deal with an unpleasant surprise when he finally meets the baby's father.

The movie with the misleading title stands out for three reasons. First of all, Zatoichi becomes surprisingly caring, emotional and tender as he grows fond of the baby boy he protects. Secondly, the movie includes a lot of slapstick humor with Zatoichi stealing clothes on a scarecrow to use them as diapers, with the infant child accidentally peeing on two angry sumo ringers and with a group of elderly blind people who fool the group of samurai that are chasing Zatoichi in hilarious manners. Thirdly, the addition of a kleptomaniac prostitute is quite interesting as she turns out being a very clumsy, emotional and romantic drama queen who often argues with Zatoichi. These three elements add a fresh touch to the Zatoichi franchise and offer several truly memorable scenes such as Zatoichi attempting to breastfeed the baby.

On the other side, the movie doesn't really have an intriguing plot as it basically follows Zatoichi on his way to bring the child to its father. The movie is lacking action and tension as fight scenes are rarely shown and not particularly well choreographed. The movie rather feels like a slice of life promoting family values and adding lots of slapstick moments. It lacks the choreography, intensity and seriousness that gave the previous entries their very own identity.

In the end, this film is a quite unusual one. Those who are expecting vivid sword fights, a tense plot and an intriguing antagonist will end up being disappointed. If you like a more cute, emotional and humorous touch to martial arts films, this film could be among your favorites of the franchise. This is the kind of movie I would show my girlfriend if I had to introduce her to the Zatoichi franchise. The movie recalls the Lone Wolf and Cup franchise or martial arts classics like The Master and the Kid with the difference that this visionary movie was released about a decade before those movies. Even though Fight, Zatoichi, Fight isn't exactly my cup of tea and among the weaker films in the franchise in my book, one can't deny that it has quite a few creative ideas and its very own original style.

The 4 star review upsets me. Zatoichi is a Charlie Chaplin character with super powers. His enthusiasm for eating, drinking,gambling and care for others makes him interesting. Being blind he is easily victimized except his powers protect him. He has no home and every film ends with him shambling down the road. This is inventive, hiigh order formula storytelling.

I like the set piece sword fights but they're secondary to the motivation and character of our hero.

There are many Chambra films with lots of action. What r u doing here? To judge Zatoichi films by the amount of swordplay is infuriatingly superficial and largely irrelevant.

I usually don't watch martial arts films too often, but when I heard the premise for this movie, I figured I should give it a chance. Boy, was I glad I saw this film. This had an excellent plot all through the film. Shintaro Katsu was excellent as Zatoichi in the original series. I only saw a few of the movies in the series, but this had a very emotional element. He was very good acting with an infant on screen. I admit I did shed a tear towards the end, but the whole movie just moved me. The way he changed the baby's diapers, holding the baby, singing to the baby, playing with the baby. This film broke the mold when back in the early 60's, most films would never use a real baby in the movies. Even the scenery was lovely. It's a shame that Shintaro's no longer with us. But during his 5-decade film career, out of all his 105 films that he's done, Fight, Zatoichi, Fight is definitely his best film ever.