The Blind Swordsman: Zatoichi (2003)There are names in the history of film, characters who hardly need introduction, depending on your cinematic exposure. Among the legends of serial action films is Zatoichi, a character featured in a long-running series of films, who I would describe as an Eastern counterpart to James Bond, save that instead of a spy, he is a swordsman in 19th century Japan who poses as a masseur; even more unusual for his trade is that he is blind. Even if you've never heard the name, The Blind Swordsman: Zatoichi (2003) is a good place to jump on board.
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The Blind Swordsman: Zatoichi is a revival of the classic series of action films, spanning a time from 1962 to 1989, not including a television series featuring the character. In this film, Zatoichi is played by "Beat" Takeshi Kitano, who also writes and directs the film. His interpretation of Zatoichi is one built upon reverence for the character and setting, which is the Edo period in Japan. The film is a tribute to the kinds of samurai films which made Zatoichi such an important figure in Japanese cinema, but is not restrained by convention. While the film boasts several bloody and elegant sword fights, stylish costumes, and choreography, it also adds levity with comedic flourishes in keeping with Kitano's roots as a comedian; there is even a musical number at the finale. The Blind Swordsman: Zatoichi (known simply as "Zatōichi" in native Japan) does not seek to add exposition to the backstory of the titular character; rather, he is a like a force which drifts through the story. Like Zatoichi's lightning quick blade--deceptively disguised as a walking cane--the opening of the film is a series of cutaways introducing us to our main characters through action. Names are given sparingly, and scenes are often lean and sharp like a blade, focusing on the unfolding plot. In addition to Zatoichi--sometimes called "Ichi"--we are introduced to Hattori Gennosuke (Tadanobu Asano), a disgraced ronin seeking to acquire money in the hopes of financing a cure for his sick wife's malady. He makes his presence known in a local watering hole by showing off his impressive swordsmanship, looking for work as a "bodyguard". Ultimately, Hattori does little guarding of anybody, but is in reality employed as an assassin for the yakuza which holds the town in its iron grip through extortion and violence. Along with Hattori's questionable decision in defending a clan of moral turpitude, there is the story of a pair of young geishas, who stalk and kill their way closer to the top of the very same gang, who call themselves "Kuchinawa", for the snake tattoos branded on their bodies. Both Okinu (Yuuko Daike) and her brother, Seitaro/Osei (Daigoro Tachibana) pose as women for sale--yes, Seitaro cross-dresses to help his sister in their mutual quest for revenge--as they try to uncover the head of the snake who ordered their family murdered in their sleep ten years prior. When the two young avengers attempt to ambush Zatoichi and Shinkichi (Taka Guadalcanal)--the nephew of a woman who has been offering him shelter, a man who Zatoichi's helped turn his luck around in gambling--the blind masseur chooses to involved in their quest.
Zatoichi stays as an enigmatic force throughout the film, rarely affording any kind of insight into his thoughts, appearing as an amiable old man until his blade is called upon to exact its purpose. In many cases, he draws his sword when attacked, but not exclusively; when he does bring his blade to bear, it is for justice. And while not an unjust man, Hattori is indifferent how he applies his skills honed as a ronin. Having fallen from favor after being humiliated in a duel with wooden swords, he has wandered, looking for dangerous work, even against his wife's protestations. He never seems vested in the purpose of his killing, but is devastating in that capacity all the same. Even when he has the opportunity to revenge himself against the bully who beat him in a duel, he refuses to take the life of the man, now a pathetic invalid. But when Hattori's and Ichi's paths cross in the bar, they sense one another's mutual prowess. Ichi smells the blood on Hattori, and an elderly barkeep accidentally knocking over his cane reveals it as the cleverly disguised sword. It is the thrill that Hattori feels at being able to find a swordsman who is his equal that motivates him. In the world of The Blind Swordsman: Zatoichi, there are but two kinds of swordsman--those who are merely competent, and those at the acme of their craft, like Hattori and Zatoichi. Zatoichi does not shy away from violence, such as the moment when he discovers that the gambling den he has been frequenting--one which is a front for the Kuchinawa gang--tries to cheat Shinkichi out of his winnings. This leads to a particularly brutal set piece, with Zatoichi striking the first blow against the tyrannical yakuza, before Hattori can be called to show up. (It seems ironic to me that this recalls another scene in Tadanobu Asano's career where he must come to witness the bloody aftermath of the carnage exacted by a man named "Ichi", the other incident being one from the movie Ichi the Killer.) When the inevitable confrontation between Hattori and Zatoichi occurs, there is a flash in Hattori's mind's eye of how he expects the events to unfold. This shows him to be more than just a superior swordsman on technique alone, but also a strategist; will it be enough? This is a town where the presence of the yakuza has made it into a den of iniquity, where vice reigns, and is deeply seated; it is a weed which must be pulled up by the root. I suspect that this is the unspoken reason why Zatoichi supports Okinu and Osei in their subterfuge to infiltrate the organization, and root out the malevolent boss who destroyed their childhood. And though Zatoichi doesn't attend the festival dance performance at the end of the film--where all the "heroic" main characters perform as though in a stage presentation--the exciting tap dance routine (by a group called "The Stripes") is a bright display of the kind of enduring popularity the character of Zatoichi has in the history of Japanese film.
Recommended for: Fans of a Japanese samurai action film, with lots of quick and exciting action, but plenty of humorous moments and sight gags. Even if you've never seen a Zatoichi flick, it is a foot in the door to the tales of the blind masseur and defender of the downtrodden.
Zatoichi stays as an enigmatic force throughout the film, rarely affording any kind of insight into his thoughts, appearing as an amiable old man until his blade is called upon to exact its purpose. In many cases, he draws his sword when attacked, but not exclusively; when he does bring his blade to bear, it is for justice. And while not an unjust man, Hattori is indifferent how he applies his skills honed as a ronin. Having fallen from favor after being humiliated in a duel with wooden swords, he has wandered, looking for dangerous work, even against his wife's protestations. He never seems vested in the purpose of his killing, but is devastating in that capacity all the same. Even when he has the opportunity to revenge himself against the bully who beat him in a duel, he refuses to take the life of the man, now a pathetic invalid. But when Hattori's and Ichi's paths cross in the bar, they sense one another's mutual prowess. Ichi smells the blood on Hattori, and an elderly barkeep accidentally knocking over his cane reveals it as the cleverly disguised sword. It is the thrill that Hattori feels at being able to find a swordsman who is his equal that motivates him. In the world of The Blind Swordsman: Zatoichi, there are but two kinds of swordsman--those who are merely competent, and those at the acme of their craft, like Hattori and Zatoichi. Zatoichi does not shy away from violence, such as the moment when he discovers that the gambling den he has been frequenting--one which is a front for the Kuchinawa gang--tries to cheat Shinkichi out of his winnings. This leads to a particularly brutal set piece, with Zatoichi striking the first blow against the tyrannical yakuza, before Hattori can be called to show up. (It seems ironic to me that this recalls another scene in Tadanobu Asano's career where he must come to witness the bloody aftermath of the carnage exacted by a man named "Ichi", the other incident being one from the movie Ichi the Killer.) When the inevitable confrontation between Hattori and Zatoichi occurs, there is a flash in Hattori's mind's eye of how he expects the events to unfold. This shows him to be more than just a superior swordsman on technique alone, but also a strategist; will it be enough? This is a town where the presence of the yakuza has made it into a den of iniquity, where vice reigns, and is deeply seated; it is a weed which must be pulled up by the root. I suspect that this is the unspoken reason why Zatoichi supports Okinu and Osei in their subterfuge to infiltrate the organization, and root out the malevolent boss who destroyed their childhood. And though Zatoichi doesn't attend the festival dance performance at the end of the film--where all the "heroic" main characters perform as though in a stage presentation--the exciting tap dance routine (by a group called "The Stripes") is a bright display of the kind of enduring popularity the character of Zatoichi has in the history of Japanese film.
Recommended for: Fans of a Japanese samurai action film, with lots of quick and exciting action, but plenty of humorous moments and sight gags. Even if you've never seen a Zatoichi flick, it is a foot in the door to the tales of the blind masseur and defender of the downtrodden.