Site
created 12/15/97. |
page
added: 5/20/04
updated: 6/13/06
Zatoichi:
The Blind Swordsman on DVD
reviews
by Bill Hunt and
Todd Doogan of The
Digital Bits
Zatoichi
on DVD (Index)
|
|
Zatoichi
18 - Zatoichi and the Fugitives
(Zatoichi Hatashi-Jo)
1968 (2004) - Daiei Studios (Home Vision)
Film Rating: A-
So... after establishing Ichi's cute and cuddly side with Challenged,
all the stops are pulled out in this next installment. Ichi is
chewed up, spit out and hung out to dry. If this series were to be
compacted into a trilogy, this film would be at the tail-end of part
two. In other words, this is Ichi's Empire
Strikes Back.
No hyperbole: Zatoichi and the Fugitives
is pitch black dark, with no comedic moments to give you a breather,
and its violence is unrelenting.
Once again traveling the back roads of Japan, Ichi meets up with a
pack of fugitives, and quickly makes his mark by killing a pair and
with one swish of his blade through a tree snake. This sets up
respect within one of his single greatest enemies in the form of
their leader Ogano Genpachiro.
After the battle, Ichi once again meets up with Ogano in a small
village overrun with fugitives. It's in this village where Ichi
finds a friend in the form of Junan, a local doctor (played by Akira
Kurosawa mainstay Takashi Shimura) and his daughter. Things go from
slightly settled to full on chaotic when the fugitives trade
sanctuary with the local yakuza for the murder of a local labor
union representative.
|
That
murder gets out of hand when, instead of a single death, the
fugitives murder an entire clan. Ichi of course steps in, and is
promptly shot and left for dead. And that's when they make their
biggest mistake. In trying to draw out Ichi, they take the doctor
and his daughter hostage. Close to death and bleeding out his final
ounces of blood, Ichi wages a final war on the criminals of the town
and their fugitive cronies, with plenty of limbs flying and geyser
upon geyser of samurai flick-fueled carnage. If Katsu wanted to
remind up how badass Ichi was after a series of films designed to
deepen his character, he rightfully succeeds.
Through all this darkness, Katsu and Takashi Shimura (a fine actor
indeed) have a series of great interactions that help develop the
inner turmoil of Ichi, as a gangster trying desperately to make
good. All in all, this is a great Ichi
flick and a nice reset after the light and cute Ichi we've seen up
to this point.
What can we say about the disc itself? Let's see... it's a Home
Vision release with a very nicely remastered anamorphic widescreen
picture and Dolby Digital mono sound that serves us well. Extras
include a reproduction mini-movie poster, a liner notes essay by
Mike Jeck and trailers for Zatoichi
Challenged, Zatoichi and the
Fugitives and Samaritan
Zatoichi. Good stuff.
|
|
|
|
Zatoichi
19 - Samaritan Zatoichi
(Zatoichi Kenka-Daiko)
1968 (2004) - Daiei Studios (Home Vision)
Film Rating: C+
Samaritan Zatoichi is one of
the faster paced, balls-to-the-wall actioners in the Ichi
series.
It all starts simply enough: Ichi has joined up with a gang of
mafia muscle who are collecting a debt from one of their own
members. Ichi is set up to kill the guy. As he does so, he
immediately regrets his last two decisions. You see, the whole thing
is a crisscross. The yakuza want the man's pretty sister Osode. To
get her, they need her brother out of the way. As soon as Ichi
figures this out, he grabs the girl and goes on the road to bring
the girl back to her hometown. Of course, the girl saw Ichi kill her
brother in cold blood and wants nothing to do with him. Zippity zap,
there's lots of action, lots of drama... and all of it culminates in
one last guilt-fueled rescue attempt and a battle with a love-sick
ronin named Yasaburo Kashiwazaki (Makoto Sato) who only wants one
thing: Osode.
|
There's
not much in the way of character development or even set-pieces in
this entry in the Ichi series.
It really is just one action set-up after another. That doesn't make
it bad, by the way. It's just not Ichi at his most badass.
On DVD, the anamorphic widescreen transfer is great and the sound
is in its original mono format. Extras include liner notes by Tom
Mes, a fold-out mini poster and trailers for Zatoichi
and the Fugitives, Samaritan
Zatoichi and an overall promo for Home Vision's Zatoichi
series.
|
|
|
|
Zatoichi
20 - Zatoichi Meets Yojimbo
(Zatoichi To Yojimbo)
1970 (2003) - Toho Co., Ltd. (AnimEigo)
Film Rating: B+
This is a huge flick. Take Kurosawa's Yojimbo
character (a misnomer, I know) and throw him up against Katsu's
Zatoichi and you get nothing
but samurai goodness. Mifune and Katsu - two great tastes that went
great together.
Looking for a sort of vacation, Ichi sets out for an village he's
spent time at in the past, with the best hot springs he remembers
anywhere. It's a village that has never done him any wrong, a rare
commodity these days. But when he gets there, he finds that things
have changed, and not for the better.
Greed is running rampant as the leading power family is
double-dealing and back-stabbing in order to steal all the gold from
the Shogunate. Once Ichi swings onto the scene, he's met with many
cold people and knows something's up. He starts to sniff around,
only to bump into a hired yojimbo (read: bodyguard) named Sasa
(played by legendary actor Toshiro Mifune). Sasa has been hired to
protect the family at all costs. But Ichi, in his clever way, knows
Sasa is inherently good and uses the ronin to his own advantage.
|
Although
not the best Ichi entry,
Zatoichi Meets Yojimbo has
obvious cache and is usually the film newbies to this series are
most familiar with. The good, is that this is an
Ichi film co-starring Mifune.
The bad, is that the story pretty well burps and putzs along looking
for the eagerly awaited battle scenes, which are relegated to the
last half of the film. Still Zatoichi
Meets Yojimbo has got a lot of class, and the acting
between the two leads is really fun.
Hopefully, the great treatment done by AnimEigo on this DVD will
keep the curious wanting more Ichi
goodness. The picture quality here is as good as
Outlaw. The source elements
are very clean and, overall, it's a pleasing image. The audio is
also solid, with nice 2.0 stereo representation. The extras once
again include the "full" and "limited" subtitle
options (a la Outlaw), a
trailer (for Lone Wolf and Cub: Sword of
Vengeance), character bios and liner notes (both on the
disc and on an insert card inside the case). Through and through,
this a nice DVD release of a much-loved Ichi
flick.
|
|
|
|
Zatoichi
21 - Zatoichi: The Festival of Fire
(Zatoichi Abare-Himatsuri)
1970 (2004) - Katsu Productions Co. Ltd./Daiei Studios (AnimEigo)
Film Rating: B-
Zatoichi may have finally met his match!
In Zatoichi: The Festival of Fire,
Ichi finds himself face to face with a powerful Yakuza boss named
Yamikubo, who considers himself a Lord on par with any and all
Shogunate. Yamikubo does what he wants, destroys what he wants and
taxes everyone who steps into his path. When Yamikubo meets up with
Ichi, he finds himself liking the wandering masseur for a lot of
reasons, but the biggest reason might because they're both blind.
Wanting to be a mentor, Yamikubo shows Ichi great respect... until a
chance event forces him to call for Ichi's death. That death will be
hard to get though, with a young woman acting against her master out
of love for Ichi, Ichi's unmatchable skill with a sword and the
presence of a mysterious samurai who won't let anyone kill Ichi...
because he wants to do it himself.
|
Don't
be fooled by the trailer for this one. Although it looks like the
most dire and nihilistic film in the series, Katsu Shintaro's Ichi
character is always in good spirits and isn't ever in any real
danger until the last ten minutes or so. There are, however, some
super badass fight sequences, including a naked battle with a gaggle
of Yakuza who attack in a hot tub. The final battle is a dozy as
well - Ichi, lost in sadness, becomes a shadow and plenty of lives
lost are lost, including those of the innocent.
Like the other recent Ichi title from AnimEigo,
Zatoichi at Large, the video
on this one is anamorphic widescreen, but the colors and contrast
are only good in terms of quality. Still, Festival
of Fire looks quite good for a Japanese film from the
70s, and we highly recommend its inclusion in your Ichi library. The
audio is in a serviceable 2.0 stereo, with a dash of distortion
found here and there.
Extras include both "full" and "limited"
subtitle options (offering English translation or translation plus
context), trailers (for Zatoichi at Large,
Zatoichi: The Festival of Fire,
Lone Wolf and Cub: Sword of Vengeance
and Lone Wolf and Cub: White Heaven in
Hell), along with more character bios and the usual
program notes (providing additional historical and cultural
context). Once again, you also get an insert card in the case that
repeats the program notes.
|
|
|
|
Zatoichi
22 - Zatoichi Meets the One-Armed Swordsman
(Shin Zatoichi: Yabure! Tojin-Ken)
1971 (2004) - Katsu Productions Co. Ltd./Daiei Studios (AnimEigo)
DVD REVIEW COMING SOON
|
|
|
|
Zatoichi
23 - Zatoichi at Large
(Zatoichi Goyo-Tabi)
1972 (2004) - Katsu Production Co., Ltd./Toho Co., Ltd. (AnimEigo)
Film Rating: B+
They say no good deed ever goes unpunished, and poor old Ichi once
again proves that to be true in Zatoichi
at Large.
Ichi is, as ever, wandering the back roads of Japan, when he
stumbles upon a pregnant woman who's just been robbed and left for
dead. Before she gives up the ghost, Ichi manages to deliver her
baby, and she implores him to deliver the boy to her husband in a
nearby village. Never one to abandon a helpless child, Ichi complies
and, with the help of an aging but honorable constable, manages to
find the boy's aunt, Oya-e, who's working as a maid in the local
inn.
Just as things are looking up, a yakuza boss and his thugs arrive
in town to demand taxes from the villagers and the performers in an
upcoming festival. The boss threatens to press Oya-e into service as
a prostitute, and our man Ichi simply can't stand for that. But his
efforts to help Oya-e are hampered by the arrival of her brother -
the murdered woman's husband - who mistakenly blames Ichi for his
wife's death.
|
Star
Katsu Shintaro's unique brand of humor and wit, along with all the
character's usual do-right action and pathos, make this an enjoyable
entry in the series. Better still, there's plenty of the requisite
trick sword play you've come to expect from these films. The obvious
influence of 1970s American filmmaking (visible in the film's
camerawork and particularly the soundtrack) makes Zatoichi
at Large even more interesting. It's also got one of the
most bad-ass final 30 seconds of any film in this series. The action
isn't over until the very last cut... literally.
The video on this DVD isn't quite up to par with the other AnimEigo
Ichi releases. It's in anamorphic widescreen, but while the colors
and contrast are good, the print looks a bit too soft overall.
Still, it looks better than many Japanese films on DVD, so it's not
worth complaining about. The audio is 2.0 stereo, and while there's
a little distortion here and there, it's fine too.
Once again, the extras include both "full" and "limited"
subtitle options (offering English translation or translation plus
context), trailers (for Zatoichi at Large,
The Festival of Fire, Zatoichi
in Desperation, Lone Wolf and
Cub: Sword of Vengeance, Lone
Wolf and Cub: Baby Cart in Peril and
Lone Wolf and Cub: White Heaven in Hell),
along with more character bios and the usual program notes
(providing additional historical and cultural context). You also get
another insert card in the case that repeats the program notes.
Gotta hand it to AnimEigo - they're making us very happy with their
Ichi DVDs.
|
|
|
|
Zatoichi
24 - Zatoichi in Desperation
(Shin Zatoichi Monogatari: Oreta Tsue)
1972 (2004) - Katsu Production Co., Ltd./Toho Co., Ltd. (AnimEigo)
DVD REVIEW COMING SOON
|
|
|
|
Zatoichi
25 - Zatoichi's Conspiracy
(Shin Zatoichi Monogatari: Kasama No Chimatsuri)
1973 (2004) - Katsu Production Co., Ltd./Toho Co., Ltd. (AnimEigo)
DVD REVIEW COMING SOON
|
|
|
|
Zatoichi
26 - Zatoichi: The Blind Swordsman
(Zatoichi 1989)
1989 (2004) - Katsu Production Co., Ltd. (Media Blasters)
DVD REVIEW COMING SOON
|
|
|
|
The
Blind Swordsman: Zatoichi
(Zatoichi 2003)
2003 (2004) - Office Kitano/Miramax (Miramax)
"Beat" Takeshi rules, and aside from the blonde hair
choice, he is virtually perfect in the role as the new Ichi. I'm
pretty excited that he's at work on a sequel. Here, Ichi stumbles
upon two "sisters" (you'll understand why there are quotes
around that as you watch the film) who work as geishas but harbor a
revenge scheme on the Ginzo gang - a band of toughs who threaten and
kill local merchants into doing what they want, and who killed their
parents. Ichi gets drawn in, as he's prone to do, and much blood
flies from the blade of his razor sharp cane sword. Much like the
films in the original series, starring Katsu Shintaro, this film
isn't specifically about Ichi. It spends a lot of time with the
girls and their blooming friendship with Aunt O-ume, as well as the
Ginzo gang and their boss' attempt at hiring a bodyguard who appears
in the form of Hattori, a ronin samurai with a sick wife who just
might give Ichi the fight he's been looking for all these years.
This is definitely a Takeshi film. Its pace, its subtle humor and
the outsider take on violence are all his signature. But it's also
very much an Ichi film, and
you'd be hard pressed after watching four or five random Ichi
films (including this one) to recall if it was Takeshi or Katsu in
the role when remembering certain scenes. In my book, that alone
makes this a success.
|
This
new DVD features the film in beautiful anamorphic widescreen video,
with Dolby Digital 5.1 Japanese and English dubbed audio. Both sound
good, but I prefer the Japanese for obvious reasons. The extras are
pretty great if you think like I do. First, there's a very nice (and
long) making-of documentary that showcases the film's production
from beginning to end, highlighting the weeks of production. It's
very fun to watch. There's also a pile of interviews (translated
into spoken English on screen) with various cast and crew members.
The best extra is Takeshi's brilliant (and
sorely-missing-from-DVD-until-now) feature film, Sonatine.
It's isolated on its own disc and features the film in a really
wonderful anamorphic widescreen transfer and Dolby Digital 2.0
Japanese audio.
Sonatine is a great film. I
hope anyone who thinks they like the types of films I do will hunt
it down and enjoy it. Sonatine
absolutely stands by itself and defies explanation, outside of the
fact that it's a Yakuza film and Takeshi stamped it with his
indelible style. Extras for Sonatine
include a truly silly intro/outro featurette with Quentin Tarantino,
preserved from the original video and laserdisc release, and a new
Takeshi interview broken up by theme and translated into spoken
English on screen.
These two films, as weird as it is to have them on the same DVD
release, fit together in a nice way. If you like Beat Takeshi,
samurai, Yakuza or just great films, you need to get this set.
|
|
Zatoichi
on DVD (Index)
|
|
