La Légende de Zatoïchi : La blessure

I have not seen more than five of the classic (and undeniably classy) Zatoichi samurai films, but this is surely the best, cinematographically, so far. It;s hard to believe this was shot in Eastman Color, a kind of poor second to Technicolor (and with far less durability; either the negative was especially preserved, or digital restoration was performed by a true expert; but in any event, this film is absolutely gorgeous to look at.

The story is dark, as others have noted; but the Zatoichi series, like most of the sword-fight genre series films to come out of Japan, is pretty heavy-handed stuff; the Japanese seem to take this sort of thing very seriously. Yet there is no doubt Zatoichi "24" stands out as exceptional, from both the series and its genre. The reason, I think, is its almost total sense of social dislocation; Zatoichi is treated by the other characters as somehow less than human, and his determination to fight at the end somewhat more than human, and so he comes across as something other than human; but the other humans of the film come across as rather poor representatives of the species. I should note that there is very little dialog in this film, particularly at the most dramatic moments, which heightens our sense that we are watching some tragedy from another reality.

The question here is, has director/star Katsu pushed his character to such an extreme that he is no longer representative of his genre, but somehow an independent dramatic entity, a "grade-A film", as might be enjoyed by those who disdain genre-films? well, I suggest this film to such viewers, as the "one chambara (Japanese sword-fight)film to see". But in any event, it is an exceptional, and troubling, cinema experience for anyone.

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' was the 24th movie in the long running and very popular martial arts series starring Shintaro Katsu as Zatoichi the blind master swordsman and masseur. Zatoichi, for those that don't know is a ronin (a wandering samurai), very quiet and unassuming with a wry sense of humour, but an absolute killing machine when crossed! In this episode he encounters an old woman while crossing a bridge, and after a brief conversation with her, she tragically falls to her death. Upset, Zatoichi sets off to a nearby town to look for the woman's daughter Nishikigi to break the news to her. He eventually finds her working as a geisha and learns she only needs to pay a debt of fifty ryo to buy her freedom. Zatoichi becomes obsessed with raising the money and in doing so ignores the hardships experienced by the local fisherman caused by the local evil boss Mangoro. But when Mangoro kidnaps Nishikigi everything comes to a head in a brutal climax, and Zatoichi must save her and his own life. I can't claim to be any kind of Zatoichi expert, but he's a most intriguing character, and Katsu plays the role masterfully. I highly recommend 'Zatoichi In Desperation'.

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.

This is the best one, number 24. Ichi realizes that he is not a hero, is making everyone's lives ultimately more violent and difficult than it would have without his existence. He is physically punished for this and still dispatches 20 dudes without using his hands.

If you don't like mean people, you know, actually effective villains, this one might make your little sensitivities buzz. The moral philosophy Katsu evaluates is artful and considerate. This is a brutal, dark, and ballsy entry.