(Movie) Zatoichi directed by Takeshi Kitano

A typical commercial samurai themed movie with expected elements – great fighters, rival gangs, revenge angle and a few dunderheads to give some comic moments…

The main draw for the movie would be Zatoichi – an enigmatic swordmaster who is blind and nearing old age, walking with a twaddle and almost looks like a person you would want to help across the street…but boy, the way he draws the sword and fights – its awe-inspiring. He fights almost as an afterthought, as if he is taking a stroll and slashing people charging at him absentmindedly. His face changes no expression other than a slight twitch, as if he is sniffing from cold. When he fights, its a treat to watch. Nothing comes close to him – even the bodyguard who can kill dozens of men without breaking a sweat. Their contest lasts one slash!!!

Other than this, there is nothing to watch in this movie. It will never be a samurai classic. There is no depth in the characters even though the director tries his hardest to run some parallel stories in a an attempt to tweak at some hearts. The threads of the stories never come into full formation. The only thing remotely interesting is the background of Zatoichi – whom we understand is a mysterious master, a legend whom people know only by name. Other than that, there is nothing revealed, especially why he is also interested in killing off the gang of criminals. The revenge angle held promise but more or less falls flat as we move on in the movie…

A movie to be watched when one is bored and wants to see some fantastic swordplay, samurai style…especially from Zatoichi

Labels: Foreign Movies, movies, samurai

posted by Protik Basu @ 5:47 PM