Wordiezett So much average

Marketic It's no definitive masterpiece but it's damn close.

Lightdeossk Captivating movie !

Kien Navarro Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

mevmijaumau Director Kimiyoshi Yasuda's Zatoichi films are so far my least favorite of the bunch, and this one, while not plain bad like Zatoichi on the Road, is fairly underwhelming and didn't really leave an impact on me.Zatoichi's Cane Sword is unusually talky for a Zatoichi film and the majority of it is just a long slow burn. It really takes a while for things to get going, and the plot isn't really the most interesting one too. Some aspects of the story were unclear to me, and there was some filler material. I don't know what's the point of the gambler character who appears several times (most notably in the final scene), and the appearance of singer Kiyoko Suizenji (who's here just to sing her popular song "Ippon dokko no uta") seems lazily shoehorned without much effort to weave her into the plot more fluidly.There are some interesting moments in the film, most notably the final fight scene and the dice throw in the final scene which assumes Zatoichi is a bloody wizard, but aside from those, there isn't much to recommend here.Highlight of the film would, once again, be the climactic fight scene taking place on the streets of the snowy town. Zatoichi's enemies are getting more and more creative - they use everything on him; barrels, even carpets!

Golgo-13 Master Ichi finds out from a friendly sword-smith that his legendary blade has a weak point and thus, will break upon his next attack. This inspires him to give it up and attempt to live life on the straight and narrow. Of course, with all the evil men lurking about and terrorizing the locals, somebody eventually has to do something. And you know who that somebody is. There's not too much action for the first hour but when it comes, it's classic Zatoichi, meaning some of it must be rewound just to enjoy it a second time. Zatoichi's Cane Sword (#15) is one of the best in the 27-film series (and has some of the best bits of humor from Zatoichi, like the whole "duck dance" scene) and as such, I'd recommend it to both fans and non-fans alike. And in case no one knew, Katsu Shintarô rocks.

gkbazalo This is the 15th Zatoichi installment and one of the best in my opinion. The color cinematography is beautiful, especially a scene where Zatoichi approaches his adversaries at night in falling snow. Eijirô Tono (the innkeeper in Yojimbo who befriends Mifune) does a great job as Senzo the swordmaker, who it turns out was the maker of Zatoichi's sword. The plot is typical Zatoichi but the characters are better drawn than usual. The swordplay seems better than usual as well. There is also a little more humor and its very well done. Instead of the mysterious stranger who Zatoichi always has to fight after he wipes out all the evil Yakuza bosses and corrupt government officials, there is a comical gambler character who challenges Zatoichi to a dice "dual". Highly recommended for Zatoichi fans.

Brian Ellis In the beginning of this installment of the Zatoichi series, Zatoichi comes across a dying man, who only gives his name, before he dies. Zatoichi then accidentally kills a raven, which he says is a bad omen for things to come. Unfortunately, almost an hour of the movie goes by before these events are revisited. What the viewer sees in the meantime is a lot of plot about how Zatoichi is weary of his lifestyle and that his cane sword's useful life is coming to an end (the cane sword is not a walking cane with a mini blade hidden at the end, like the westerner that I am thought it would be, it is just a walking stick that serves as a sheath for the sword). Once all that is done, then the typical Zatoichi film begins. There is a town in fear of an evil mob boss (who is more fleshed out than in the other films), a young woman in trouble and a huge battle at the end which features a nifty scene with a barrel. The last 40 minutes of this film rank up there with the best of the other Zatoichi films but it's the hour before that sinks this film.