The blind masseur/swordsman comes to a town in control of warring gangs, and while bunking with a farming family, he meets two women with their own agenda.The blind masseur/swordsman comes to a town in control of warring gangs, and while bunking with a farming family, he meets two women with their own agenda.The blind masseur/swordsman comes to a town in control of warring gangs, and while bunking with a farming family, he meets two women with their own agenda.
- Awards
- 24 wins & 15 nominations
Takeshi Kitano
- Zatôichi
- (as Beat Takeshi)
- …
Michiyo Yasuda
- Aunt Oume
- (as Michiyo Ohkusu)
Hideboh
- Dancing Farmer
- (as The Stripes)
Ron II
- Dancing Farmer
- (as The Stripes)
Suji
- Dancing Farmer
- (as The Stripes)
Noriyasu
- Dancing Farmer
- (as The Stripes)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThe blood in the film has been described by many as being "too CGI". Kitano did this intentionally, wanting to "soften the shock to the audience" due to the high body count. Kitano told the CGI artist he wanted the blood to "look like flowers blossoming across the screen."
- ConnectionsFeatured in Denn sie kennen kein Erbarmen - Der Italowestern (2006)
Featured review
With tap dancing, mundane superpowers, and an attractive albeit gender-confused cross-dresser, Zatoichi truly offers 'something for everybody'.
This is a strange one, a drama/comedy/action film with absurdist overtones. In Japan, Zatoichi is a cult character who was the subject of 26 feature films between 1963 and 1989. Now director "Beat" Takeshi best known for Hana Bi introduces Zatoichi to a new generation. Takeshi also stars as Zatoichi, the elderly masseur and dice gambler whose hearing is so acute he can detect which side a die has fallen. He's a master swordsman, too one slice and you're diced.
Supporting characters include two beautiful geishas avenging their parents' death, a farmer and her drunkard nephew, the gangsters running the town and a masterless samurai (an impressive performance from Tadanobu Asano).
The Blind Swordsman is great fun, although it could do with a tighter structure. And I was shocked by the spectacular tap-dancing finale in traditional Japanese dress and shoes! ***½/***** stars.
Supporting characters include two beautiful geishas avenging their parents' death, a farmer and her drunkard nephew, the gangsters running the town and a masterless samurai (an impressive performance from Tadanobu Asano).
The Blind Swordsman is great fun, although it could do with a tighter structure. And I was shocked by the spectacular tap-dancing finale in traditional Japanese dress and shoes! ***½/***** stars.
helpful•5230
- colettesplace
- Dec 17, 2004
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Official sites
- Language
- Also known as
- Zatoichi
- Filming locations
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Gross US & Canada
- $1,118,163
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $61,104
- Jul 25, 2004
- Gross worldwide
- $34,196,922
- Runtime1 hour 56 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.85 : 1
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Top Gap
By what name was The Blind Swordsman: Zatoichi (2003) officially released in India in English?
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