A Espada de Zatoichi

This is the 15th Zatoichi installment and one of the best in my opinion. The color cinematography is beautiful, especially a scene where Zatoichi approaches his adversaries at night in falling snow. Eijirô Tono (the innkeeper in Yojimbo who befriends Mifune) does a great job as Senzo the swordmaker, who it turns out was the maker of Zatoichi's sword. The plot is typical Zatoichi but the characters are better drawn than usual. The swordplay seems better than usual as well. There is also a little more humor and its very well done. Instead of the mysterious stranger who Zatoichi always has to fight after he wipes out all the evil Yakuza bosses and corrupt government officials, there is a comical gambler character who challenges Zatoichi to a dice "dual". Highly recommended for Zatoichi fans.

This is one of the best Zatoichi movies. It has lots of humor, great action scenes and a history of Zatorichi's sword. Zatoichi gives up his sword when he discovers it is about to fail. Later, when gang of swordsmen attack him he must defend himself with just his bamboo cane. In another fight he defends himself against a knife attack with his pipe. After he gets a sword back, he finds himself sealed in a barrel by his attackers. But he defeats the attachers by stabbing through the barrel.

The best scene in the movie is Zatoichi doing a crazy song and dance about trying to catch ducks. Because it is completely out of character for Zatoichi, it is very funny. But at the same time you have to appreciate how good the performance is. When the dance is over, Zatoichi proceeds to "accidentally" insult the gang leader by mooning him, ignoring his offer of sake and then spilling sake on him.

The underlying story line is the same as most Zatoichi films. The villagers are being exploited by a violent gang and corrupt leader. Zatoichi kills enough bad guys until the town is saved.

This is a fairly sedate but still interesting entry in the series. Zatoichi discovers that his trusty blade is about to break, and he decides to settle down as a domestic servant rather than risk losing his life and his sword. Naturally a spanner is thrown in the works by another naughty warlord, and complications ensue.

Master Ichi finds out from a friendly sword-smith that his legendary blade has a weak point and thus, will break upon his next attack. This inspires him to give it up and attempt to live life on the straight and narrow. Of course, with all the evil men lurking about and terrorizing the locals, somebody eventually has to do something. And you know who that somebody is. There's not too much action for the first hour but when it comes, it's classic Zatoichi, meaning some of it must be rewound just to enjoy it a second time. Zatoichi's Cane Sword (#15) is one of the best in the 27-film series (and has some of the best bits of humor from Zatoichi, like the whole "duck dance" scene) and as such, I'd recommend it to both fans and non-fans alike. And in case no one knew, Katsu Shintarô rocks.

I love the Zatoichi movies, though I have found that because they made so many and the plots tended to blend together so often, it is hard to distinguish them apart. I would give all of them about the same score of a 7 or an 8--with a few exceptions (the return of the original in 1989 was a TERRIBLE and depressing movie, while the new Zatoichi movie starring Beat Takeshi is probably the best of any Zatoichi movies).

This movie features a unique plot--something many Ichi films do not feature. His relationship with the sword maker and what happens when his old blade ultimately breaks make this one stand out from the crowd. It's also nice to see that he is indeed NOT invincible.