La légende de Zatôichi : voyage meurtrier

(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.

I've been working my way through the Zatoichi films and reviewing as I go, and I've noticed I have a habit of claiming many to be the best in the series as soon as I've watched them, knowing full well I'll probably watch one soon I like even more. Having said that, so far this film is far and away my favourite, and I'm only a little over halfway through. Despite the title (fight Zatoichi fight) that would lead you to believe it is more of an action entry, this is the most humanising film for Zatoichi so far.

Zatoichi finds himself responsible for a mothers death, so he takes the woman's baby to deliver it to her husband some 60 miles away. Along the way he grows attached to the child, and turns into a bit of a mother hen, all the while being pursued by a group of hired killers. The bulk of the film (so far) is made up of scenes of Zatoichi with the child - my favourite of which (and possibly my favourite scene in the series so far) has Zatoichi buy the services of a whore to care for the child for a night, so he can finally get some much needed sleep. But he can't stop worrying about the child. Time and time again he rises, irritating the whore to no end, and the scene finally cross fades to the next morning, and the whore is out cold while Ichi nurses the baby. It also has a great gambling scene.

All the films have had something to offer so far. The third (new tale of Zatoichi) was the most visually pleasing; every shot was masterful. The film directly following it topped the third film in most other regards (such a great ending, with Zatoichi dancing off down a road with a grin on his face, which soured as soon as it was out of sight of the people the grin was intended for). But "Fight Zatoichi Fight" is the most satisfying film in the series so far. I love heartfelt sh-t like this.

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.

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.

Shintaro at his best. He's a mother, a husband and a reluctant killer all rolled into one. I can't imagine anyone else pulling off the role of Zatoichi. His interaction with the infant is truly heartwarming. There is pathos and humor as well. What else is there? Swordfighting, swordfighting, swordfighting...

Not that he doesn't try to talk reason to his assailants. He deters an angry samurai without blood or violence in a scene I felt was so unusual, I played it back three times in a row. I LOVE martial arts sequences, but, the reason that I watch this one again and again is the acting and the natural building of his relationship with the infant that he has decided to help.

If you want to sample the Zatoichi series, I would certainly recommend this one to be your first...