This movie was GREAT! It wasn't the best Zatoichi movie, but it certainly was one of the best. It had EVERYTHING...the wayward samurai, the jaded but loving woman, the feuding crime bosses...and ORPHANS.
But, this was a deeper, more introspective Ichi. He starts off the movie in a jail cell and subsequently receives a hundred lashes as punishment for insolence to a judge. It becomes apparent that Ichi has a lot of friends and spreads the spirit of giving everywhere he goes...
Oh, and he also kills a lot of people...a LOT of people. And, for his age, Katsu Shintaro does amazingly well. The battles are tight, a little bloodier than before, but well staged.
One minor complaint with this movie is the sex and nudity. While not excessive, it will keep my children from seeing it until their mid-teens. It is a shame because they have seen most of the other Zatoichis...
But, this was a deeper, more introspective Ichi. He starts off the movie in a jail cell and subsequently receives a hundred lashes as punishment for insolence to a judge. It becomes apparent that Ichi has a lot of friends and spreads the spirit of giving everywhere he goes...
Oh, and he also kills a lot of people...a LOT of people. And, for his age, Katsu Shintaro does amazingly well. The battles are tight, a little bloodier than before, but well staged.
One minor complaint with this movie is the sex and nudity. While not excessive, it will keep my children from seeing it until their mid-teens. It is a shame because they have seen most of the other Zatoichis...