Karry
Best movie of this year hands down!
TaryBiggBall
It was OK. I don't see why everyone loves it so much. It wasn't very smart or deep or well-directed.
Zlatica
One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.
mistymountain
This is another good performance from Shintaro Katsu as Zatoichi. Also, the character, Jumonji, was very versatile. First, he befriends Zatoichi on a boat journey, where they play a game of chess. After they land in town, they stay at the same inn,and Zatoichi becomes the area masseur in the inn. Then, Jumonji finally challenges Zatoichi to a fight. What's really intriguing about this film is that the compassion that Zatoichi has for children. When the little girl thanks him for getting her the medicine needed to save her life, he gets all emotional and has to run outside. And another heartwarming scene is towards the end of the movie, when she helps Zatoichi with his shoes, he gets down and touches her face, before he moves on his journey.
alice_frye
I agree with the positive remarks left by others about the overall charm of this movie, but the real treasure is actor Mikio Narita (January 31, 1935-April 9, 1990.) He was one of the better character actors of his generation, which is obvious when you compare this performance to his portrayal of an effete imperial minister, who happens to be deadly with a sword, in "Shogun's Samurai", a/k/a "The Yagyu Clan Conspiracy." As Jumonji, Narita borrowed Sam Spade's unique gesture from "The Maltese Falcon," that is, when contemplating a problem, he rubs the side of his nose and then snaps his fingers when inspired with a solution. The script gives him plenty of opportunities to emerge as a full and unforgettable character, and his presence in this episode of the Zatoichi franchise is reason enough to see this film.
Gary-The King-Tooze
Zatoichi films are all pretty similar. There are gambling (dice) scenes, Zatoichi vs. large gang fighting scenes, massaging scenes (usually of beautiful women), Zatoichi eating and drinking scenes, bath scenes, travel sequences, often a scenes with a child (or children) - and they all wonderful. One other consistent element is that they all are shot in glorious widescreen and contain some exquisite cinematography. I always find at least a couple of scenes in each film of this series to be quite breathtaking - certainly worthy of pondering over. I find these films so appealing regardless that I know exactly what is to come.In this chapter Zatoichi meets a rather confident and intelligent foe in the guise of a chess expert. This is, of course, after he has easily defeated all his lesser foes who seek vengeance on his gambling prowess (sound familiar?). We have a female love interest and Zatoichi spurning her because of his opinion of his own "lowlife" status. All in all I was more enthralled with the first 3/4's of this particular film, but felt it failed slightly at the end. Still I think the world of Zatoichi so I give this 4.5 /5
zetes
There's little to recommend about this cheaply made samurai film. The films of this genre boast great patience, but within that patience there ought to be at least a few good samurai battles. There are only two real battles in this one. The first one has a neat setting, but it takes place during the night and it is so dark that it is difficult to see anything. The climactic battle, which is actually two consecutive battles, is very good but nothing compared to those in much more well known samurai flicks. The editing of the film is consistently poor and reduces the effectiveness of many of its scenes. This movie is only 90 minutes long, but it feels as long as The Seven Samurai. 5/10.
