Being a fan of Asian cinema I am ashamed to say that I never really seen any of the Zatoichi movies, so I picked this up from Amazon to see what they were all about, and the movie had been praised so high, so it was bound to be good.Or so I thought.This movie was definitely not in my liking. I found it to be boring, slow moving and rather pointless. And just to prolong the suffering, the movie is about 2 hours long. I made it through the first 55 minutes, then I simply gave up out of sheer boredom, and because nothing much really had happened.The acting was adequate, as were the action scenes.Sure it was nicely shot and I am sure that there is a profound meaning to the movie. I just failed to find it. I prefer movies with a little bit more action or appeal. But I am sure for fans of the Zatoichi story or movies set in feudal Japan, then this movie would be great.Of course there is an audience for this particular type of movie, or this movie specifically, I just wasn't part of that audience. I will say that it is not amongst the worst of Japanese movies I have seen, it just failed to catch my interest.

I became familiar with the character Zatoichi on IFC's Samurai Saturdays a couple of years ago. When the movies suddenly disappeared from their rotation, it prompted me to sign up for Netflix and see them all, in order.First the character. Zatoichi is a blind "anma" or masseur (common occupation for the blind in that era) that travels the countryside, never stopping for long in one place. Behind this unassuming appearance is a master swordsman, which combined with super human hearing makes him virtually unstoppable (very few throughout the series get the better of him). While technically a "yakuza" (defined sometimes as gangster, sometimes as gambler), Zatoichi is Japan's Lone Ranger, Zorro, Batman or Robin Hood. Considered an outlaw by authorities (often vile characters themselves), he lives by a simple moral code and is generally a folk hero amongst the Edo-period villagers he encounters in his travels.The bulk of the movies (there are 26) follow a pretty basic formula. Zatoichi comes to town, meets and mutually respects a Ronin or Samurai, befriends a sweet young thing or a hooker (with a heart of gold), becomes aware of depredations by the local yakuza boss or government official, gambles, displays his amazing swordsmanship (usually to discourage the boss or official), and is finally pushed too far by boss or official resulting in the wiping out of their underlings and themselves, unhappily fighting aforementioned Samurai or Ronin, and finally leaving the woman crying his name as he wanders off unseen.The formula works well through the first 20 or so movies, then starts getting repetitious as they reuse gags. This happens around the time that TOHO takes over from the defunct DAIEI as the production company. While the production values of these later movies are generally higher, it's offset by more graphic violence and sexual situations. The star of the movies, Shintaro Katsu, co-produced movies 16 through 26 as well as directing numbers 24 and 26. Which brings us to number 26, Zatoichi (1989).There was a gap of 16 years between the last 2 movies and it shows. The character, as is expected, has aged considerably in this period. He's heavier (aren't we all?) and has more grey in his hair. He is still, however, the potent weapon we've come to love over the series. But sadly, it's not, pun intended, executed well.The formula is broadly followed but is muddled with a plodding storyline and too many characters. Perhaps the subtitles aren't giving the proper translations, but characters come and go and their relation to the story and interplay with other characters aren't made clear. A good 20 minutes could be shaved off of this film and would only result in a tightening of the plot. Which is a damn shame, since this his last appearance as Zatoichi and you want to savor every last minute of this film. But sadly I didn't.See the movie for closure. If you're like me you'll be left wanting more (which is how it should be) and wishing for a more fitting end to a franchise that spanned 27 years and lots of great movie moments.Now don't even get me started on Takeshi Kitano's Zatoichi (2003)...

this is the last appearance of katsu shintaro as zaotichi, and for my money the best.if you like action films, you must see this film.if you like Japanese film, you must see this.if you ever wondered what 'the wild bunch' might look like in Japanese, you must see this film.in short this is the Japanese film that crosses all the boundaries the Japanese themselves recognize; you really must see this film.absolutely exquisitely mounted; beautifully shot and edited. the only odd flaw is the weird soul-song that functions as the theme song - but, fortunately, it is not the theme music.everything else about this film is fine. what a great farewell to a great serial character.absolutely, you must see this.

This movie was GREAT! It wasn't the best Zatoichi movie, but it certainly was one of the best. It had EVERYTHING...the wayward samurai, the jaded but loving woman, the feuding crime bosses...and ORPHANS.But, this was a deeper, more introspective Ichi. He starts off the movie in a jail cell and subsequently receives a hundred lashes as punishment for insolence to a judge. It becomes apparent that Ichi has a lot of friends and spreads the spirit of giving everywhere he goes...Oh, and he also kills a lot of people...a LOT of people. And, for his age, Katsu Shintaro does amazingly well. The battles are tight, a little bloodier than before, but well staged.One minor complaint with this movie is the sex and nudity. While not excessive, it will keep my children from seeing it until their mid-teens. It is a shame because they have seen most of the other Zatoichis...