The Blind Swordsman: Zatoichi Reviews

Back in the 90's, I used to be a huge fan of Takeshi Kitano and I ended up watching 9 of his movies. I have to admit that, nowadays, I don't follow much his work anymore but it doesn't seem I'm missing much. Anyway, this flick was the last Kitano feature I had the pleasure to watch. If I'm not mistaken, it is the most commercially successful movie directed by Takeshi Kitano, at least in Japan where this Zaitochi character is really popular (They have already made something like 20 movies about him). So, it deals with a well known (at least in Japan) fictional figure and it was not as heavy than the usual Kitano's work. Anyway, it still looked really awsome, Kitano gave, as usual, an impressive performance and the whole thing was just damned entertaining to watch. It has become absolutely one of my favorite movies made by Kitano. to conclude, it is a beautiful and entertaining flick and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you are interested in Japanese movies.

I had heard of Zatoichi, but never bothered looking up anything about this long-lasting character of the East. I stumbled on this DVD, & found myself enjoying it so much, that the end result was multiple viewings with no diminishment in enjoyment. The movie, just like the series of an earlier time, follows the latest adventure of a mystery traveler commonly referred to as the "blind masseuse", who in actuality is a gentle samurai warrior who's lone wolf journeys could've well been the inspiration of the Italian counter-part, "Man With No Name" of spaghetti western fame. Silent, noble & despite his blindness, the ability to see with more clarity, not just the world around him, but also the will & intentions contained within the hearts of all he encounters.
A great classic character of the Japanese tradition.