Rogermex

You have to be used to and to tolerate Japanese samurai violence. If you can do that, Kitano is an expert, and Zatoichi: The Blind Swordsman is his masterpiece. He re-creates a very interesting character, carries him past his defense of town folk dominated by rival gangs, and then blows you away with a few surprises.

There's an ongoing subtext about two young survivors of their murdered family and their determined strategies to prevail and have retribution. Fantastic cinematography, editing, acting (in the Japanese style), and music AND dance!

Recommend it highly, it will have you enthralled and then very satisfied.

I'm loving it, especially how it keeps buidling up.

Some trivia: in the course of the series there are odd little bits of trivia from the 60s and 70s.

When Andor is referred to early on as "Clem" that's a reference to The Firesign Theatre. In their album "We're All Bozos on This Bus" Clem is the main character, who manages to sneak in and destroy the computerized "President" by twisting it's brain with a snarky conundrum.

At another moment one character has a line very close to "Twas Ever Thus," which was a tag line of "Mr Natural," cosmic guru created by R. Crumb.

When Krennic addresses his council, he refers to the creatures who spin fiber made into a very popular twill fabric. What you see is a spider-like critter who is almost identical to the deadly aliens in one of Rod Serling's "Twilight Zone" episodes, "The Zanti Misfits."

I hope to see many more of these "Easter Eggs."

Despite my previous review, I now have watched the entire "limited series," and it is much better than I expected. I found it very impressive in that it attempted, successful or not, in addressing the issues of our present and ongoing political climate. Bob Dylan wrote and sang a song called "Dignity." In this movie "dignity" is personified by fictional ex-President George Mullen, and by great actor Robert De Niro. Essential actor Jesse Plemons should be given much credit, and Joan Allen as well. Hard to give such credits for a character like House Speaker Dreyer, but Matthew Modine did very well also. The film was very well scripted and directed. Is it a "fantasy" construct? Well sure, but that's what fiction and movies are. But sometimes that's how we get the truth. Some folks here object to movies that they think are adverse to their political allegiances, but . . . Oh well.