The Tale of Zatoichi

To call this first outing a ‘template’ would be a disservice - I think of it more as an ‘elemental’ film, a jazz standard of such precision it inspired at least 25-plus-odd riffs, but never at the original’s expense. “Tale” lays the foundation of the series, narratively, with the Bushido virtue of Rei, and, energetically, with Katsu’s naturalistic, brooding dignity. Tellingly for the series, the climax peaks to a sort of mad nihilism, before retreating into melancholy.

While staying as a guest in the home of a yakuza boss, Zatoichi is coerced into fighting in a gang war but ends up befriending the samurai he is supposed to kill. It's odd to see Shintaro Katsu looking so young, but the best elements of his character are already in place...the tricky gambling, the impish grin, and the lightning fast swordplay. It's actually a little short on fighting, but serves as a great introduction to the series.

Ahh the first Zatoichi film, man what a treat. Shintarô Katsu shines in this, he's dripping with charm but carries an air of deadly menace and anger which is missing from some of the later films. the series starts off deadly serious and then slides towards comedy and spoof before ending on a more melancholy and sombre note. Shintarô Katsu in his first turn as Ichi is lean, agile and gives a nuanced performance which is done so naturally that you can easily forget that he's just acting. WATCH IT

This was surprisingly good. As it's the 1st film of the series, I expected something unpolished, basic and entertaining, but instead it's stylish and understated. There's quite little action which might be an issue for some viewers. The heart of the film is the relationship between Zatoichi and Hirate - the ronin samurai. Amusingly, they are both not that invested in the feud of the gangs. Supporting characters were also interesting. It will be interesting to see where the series goes from here.

Fumbles a bit on the hurdle of relaying the character's backstory entirely through dialogue in retrospect rather than dramatizing it, but that hopefully frees up the rest of the series to be more creative and directly engaging.

He'sacoolcharacter+coolendingfight-thoughtthere'dbemoreofthatlol+openseyestoscoldguyaboutyakuzashame

Though it's less the tale of Zatoichi & more a tale that happens to have Zatoichi in it, this is still a really great & unique samurai film that has just the right amount of charm, action, tension, & comic relief to create a near-perfect blend. Shintaro Katsu is brilliant in the title role, delivering a great & nuanced performance that few could pull off as effectively. The supporting cast is strong. The story is well-paced & well written, save for the clumsy romance. Definitely check this out.

Although the poster and description, and indeed, much of the dialogue, hint at the existence of swordplay in this film, be aware that there isn't any save for just a tiny bit in the finale. It's mostly a very drab chanbara drama.

Maratona Zatôichi filme #1. Acho que o que mais gostei nesse filme é o parecer que armas de fogo são imorais, antiéticas e infames segundo o código de katanas. Box Versátil.

A fine movie. The opening gambling scene tells us so much about who Zatoichi is, and the rest of the film fleshes out his skill in combat but more importantly his ethical code. The film has some pacing problems, but these are alleviated to some extent by the short length.

Perfectly satisfying samurai movie sports some excellent character work and beautiful cinematography. However, the plot is very standard and it lacks action, saving all of it for the last fifteen minutes. Still a very promising start to the series.

The first picture in the "Zatoichi" series is slow-paced and deliberate--light on action until the climax--opting instead to slowly introduce and develop the titular swordsman, played with great menace and gentility by Shintaro Katsu.

"WAIT! We're on a bridge?! Why the hell didn't you tell me, you samu-dick? I could break my damn neck on this thing!" I just wanted to point out that I am a terrible person for MST3K-ing Zatoichi. (great film, but the lantern scene irritated the shit out of me)

Tense camaraderie between rival mercenaries, one crippled and one doomed. The sets and lighting provide an appropriate hint of fantasy.

2nd viewing

At least superficially comparable to Yojimbo, in which a clever swordsman outwits a yakuza mob. Unlike Kurosawa's film, this first installment of the legendary saga is less focused on eccentric style and gruesome action, being more of a quiet character piece and moral drama. Shintaro Katsu is phenomenal, his eyes perpetually closed, a fun and charismatic performance.

A great samurai movie and a great start to the series. Zatoichi is a blind swordsman and masseur who visits a yakuza boss whom he met in Nikko. The two begin as fast friends, but soon Zatoichi finds that he is just being used for a war between yakuza clans. Zatoichi doesn't want to be looked down upon because he is blind. He is skilled and wants to be respected for being skilled at massage, or even at sword fighting.

It was a little slower than I expected. It spends a lot of time building up the character and the rivalry between the gangs, and very little on actual swordsmanship. The rivalry is boring but Zatoichi is an interesting character and that carries the film pretty far. There are some fun moments that don't lose any impact despite their predictability, and the general story arc is well done. I dunno, I liked it but it didn't seem all that special and doesn't give me much to write about.

Here's hoping this series picks it up, cause right not It's just an inferior Yojimbo with talent lacking everywhere.

"Though The Tale of Zatoichi features a few exciting action sequences, this is more of a moody character study than an outright karate flick."

Great film, and great introduction to the blind gambling swordsman. We get to learn about the blind masseur and what makes him so special, in this film. The characters are great, and the action is fun to watch. Shintaro Katsu would go on to play Zatoichi for a total of 27 films. This definitely worth watching for anyone interested in Japanese cinema.

Ichi is the man, and is hands down the best series of films of all time. With more that 20 sequels the only series to come close would be Godzilla but he can't claim the consistency this series had.

Good film.