Zatôichi (The Blind Swordsman: Zatoichi) (2003)
Average Rating: 7.2/10
Reviews Counted: 122
Fresh: 106 | Rotten: 16
Colorful, rich with action and wonderfully choreographed, Takeshi Kitano takes on the classic samurai character with his own brand of cinematic flair.
Average Rating: 7.4/10
Critic Reviews: 34
Fresh: 31 | Rotten: 3
Colorful, rich with action and wonderfully choreographed, Takeshi Kitano takes on the classic samurai character with his own brand of cinematic flair.
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Average Rating: 3.9/5
User Ratings: 38,824
Movie Info
Beat Takeshi Kitano directs and plays the title role in this tribute to the wildly popular "blind swordsman" of Japanese cinema who was the hero of more than 20 movies and a television series from the early '60s to the late '80s. In Kitano's version, Zatôichi wanders into a town harassed by criminal gangs, and helps two geishas take revenge on the men who murdered their parents. His mission leads him to a final, bloody confrontation with the gang's mastermind and his hired assassin (Tadanobu
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Cast
-
Takeshi Kitano
Zatôichi/Ichi, Zatôich... -
Tadanobu Asano
Gennosuke Hattori -
Michiyo Okusa
Aunt Oume -
Yui Natsukawa
Oshino -
Gadarukanaru Taka
Shinkichi -
Daigoro Tachibana
Osei the Geisha -
Yuko Daike
Okinu -
Ittoku Kishibe
Ginzo -
Saburo Ishikura
Ã?giya, Ôgiya, ??giya, ... -
Akira Emoto
Shinkichi -
Michiyo Ookusu
O-Ume
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All Critics (122) | Top Critics (34) | Fresh (106) | Rotten (16) | DVD (20)
The Blind Swordsman: Zatoichi begins life as a straight-up samurai movie, evolves into a slapstick comedy and ends as a rousing, tap-dancing musical.
Top CriticZatoichi is a mix-and-match crowd-pleaser that shouldn't add up, but delightfully does.
However improbably, Kitano pulls it off quite gloriously. Admittedly, this isn't one of his most idiosyncratic, innovative or, indeed, satisfying works, but it's without doubt fast, funny, fabulous to behold.
For those unfamiliar with such films, Zatoichi might be a little off-putting. But given a chance, the movie can be pretty entertaining.
This isn't arty violence, just violence, and pretty pedestrian for a samurai picture.
This is a wonderfully odd movie, proof that an artist can leave his personal stamp on any film, no matter the genre.
This non-traditional samurai movie isn't for kids.
Violent and bloody, carefully choreographed and filled with dry humor, Takeshi Kitano's modern take on the classic Japanese character is a unique vision that's told with confidence.
Zatoichi is a bloody film that also manages to be beautiful and funny.
Three-frame cuts of the action from multiple camera angles, hose-spurted blood and superimposed wounds do what they can in their primitive way to get you past the problem of improbability.
Seen now, sans all the hype and hoopla)...we can gauge Kitano's production for what it truly is - a compelling and quite complex bit of fractured folklore.
Beat Takeshi's take on the Zatoichi storyline is very entertaining and continuously original...
I freely admit that I have not been seduced by Takeshi Kitano's films, no, not even Hana-Bi.
The result meanders, but provides a few exciting moments.
Imposing, yet often intimate. Abrasive, but amusing. Arty, but eminently accessible. Bring on the sequel.
Parecería que Kitano se está divirtiendo, más que nada.
É uma pena que esta tenha sido, provavelmente, a única incursão de Kitano pelo universo de Zatoichi. Seria bom ver o samurai cego mais vezes.
A rich display of fantasy swordsplay at its goriest, slickest and most demanding.
Despite its period setting, it's a return to the combination of slapstick humor, dramatic intrigue, and sudden bloodshed that distinguished his early efforts. In other words, it's vintage Kitano.
I'd call Zatoichi stylish to the point of distraction, except I'm not sure what I was being distracted from.
Zatoichi triumphs where few movies dare to tread
This ain't your sensei's samurai film.
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Movie: ID: 113352729 Title: Zatôichi (The Blind Swordsman: Zatoichi) Release Date: 2003-09-06 00:00:00.0 MPAA: 4 Status: 1
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Foreign Titles
- Zatoichi (DE)
- Zatoichi (UK)
