Review by jrd_73

The Crimson Bat films are an attempt to make a female version of Zatoichi, a blind swordswoman. The films are generally not as successful as the Zatoichi films, partially because Yoko Matsuyama is not the actor that Shintaro Katsu is. Matsuyama is okay, but she doesn't really impress as either a blind woman nor as a swordfighter. Watch Out, Crimson Bat! Is the third entry in the series, and after the second entry (Trapped, The Crimson Bat), the next best entry of the four films.

In this one, Oichi is entrusted to deliver a scroll to a master weapons maker. The old man has retired to practice his art in the countryside. Too bad the local lord is a weapons nut who wants to use the old man's knowledge for personal gain. Oichi meets up with two orphans (a girl and a boy) whose parents have been killed in the lord's experiments with dynamite. Oichi also meets up with not one, not two, but three separate ronin, crossing swords with each before befriending two of the three.

The plot is a bit crowded, but it makes for a quickly paced film. The action scenes are fine, but certainly not astounding. I liked the film well enough, but I am an admirer of samurai cinema. Non-fans should probably drop my star rating one or two stars.