05-17-2020, 11:06 AM
I don't know if I've ever seen a Zatoichi film, certainly not with Shintarô Katsu portraying the blind swordsman. So my review won't be entirely fair.
Mifune plays Yojimbo, or actually Daisaku Sasa (as Yojimbo is only used in the title, and Daisaku is a different person, though with similarities to Yojimbo). Here Mifune is a ronin hired as a goon's bodyguard. He spends much of the movie drunk. Or might it all be a ploy? Or maybe a bit of both. As for Zatoichi, he wanders into his home village, or is it? It has certainly changed, now oppressed by bad elements. Zatoichi encounters Daisaku, and it's really not clear if they will be enemies or allies. There is a lot of back and forth in this regard. And I love the affectionate name-calling, where Daisaku calls Zatoichi "Monster" and Zataoichi calls Daisaku "Beast."
I've heard others complain that Zatoichi appears more clumsy and ineffectual in this film, but to be honest I liked that aspect. Yes, he's going to stumble into things, trip over objects, and struggle to negotiate unfamiliar stairs. He still shows deadly fighting skills against multiple opponents, but more in collaboration with chaos.
All in all, I found this strangely compelling. Mifune's character is solid, but familiar. Shintaro Katsu plays Zatoichi brilliantly, to my mind. And I sense this is the culmination and high-water mark of all his portrayals of the blind swordsman.
Oh, DM mentioned this film during his Zatoichi streak.
Mifune plays Yojimbo, or actually Daisaku Sasa (as Yojimbo is only used in the title, and Daisaku is a different person, though with similarities to Yojimbo). Here Mifune is a ronin hired as a goon's bodyguard. He spends much of the movie drunk. Or might it all be a ploy? Or maybe a bit of both. As for Zatoichi, he wanders into his home village, or is it? It has certainly changed, now oppressed by bad elements. Zatoichi encounters Daisaku, and it's really not clear if they will be enemies or allies. There is a lot of back and forth in this regard. And I love the affectionate name-calling, where Daisaku calls Zatoichi "Monster" and Zataoichi calls Daisaku "Beast."
I've heard others complain that Zatoichi appears more clumsy and ineffectual in this film, but to be honest I liked that aspect. Yes, he's going to stumble into things, trip over objects, and struggle to negotiate unfamiliar stairs. He still shows deadly fighting skills against multiple opponents, but more in collaboration with chaos.
All in all, I found this strangely compelling. Mifune's character is solid, but familiar. Shintaro Katsu plays Zatoichi brilliantly, to my mind. And I sense this is the culmination and high-water mark of all his portrayals of the blind swordsman.
Oh, DM mentioned this film during his Zatoichi streak.
I'm nobody's pony.
