05-15-2014, 06:09 PM
Zatoichi Challenged
This one is a gem. Ichi gets caught up in intrigues involving a porn ring. Now these movies are set in a period before the internet, before cameras even. So the porn is forbidden drawings, done on decorative plates with forbidden materials (gold and silver) for the private collections of rich lords. Ichi gets saddled with another cute kid when the boy's mother dies and tasks Ichi to get the boy to his father the artist. He is being held against his will and forced to make the porn drawings. It's hard to wrap your head around the crime actually, but it is punishable by death. And save for some odd pranks on Ichi's blindness by the kid, this installment is not as humorous as the others. Nor is it that bloody. It plays out like a good drama. What makes this such a great flick is Ichi has to face off with a samurai, his toughest opponent so far, and the final swordfight is spectacular. It's absurdly complex, almost to the level of a Kung Fu swordfight, with several exchanges that last many sword cuts before a cut in the editing. It's gorgeous work, very fast, worth slowing down to break it down (but sadly Hulu+ does not offer that function). The samurai is very skilled, and the ending is surprising. It's my favorite swordfight so far.
Zatoichi and the Fugitive
Not to be mistaken for the Zatoichi vs. the One-armed swordsman. That comes later. In this one, Ichi gets wrapped up in slave labor silk weavers, which doesn't seem that far off from a sweatshop today. It's a little bloodier and there's some limb chopping. Most notable is that Ichi is taken in by a doctor played by the brilliant Takashi Shimura, the lead Ronin in Seven Samurai, and the lead in Ikiru. He also had roles in several other Kurosawa flicks, and notably, the Godzilla franchise. It's great to see him play off of Shintaro Katsu. SPOILER Ichi gets shot END SPOILER. This results in one of his roughest battles, because he's a bloody mess from it. This one also has a rather dark tone, although not as dark as the Outlaw. SPOILER Another repeated them occurs when Ichi kills the damsel's brother. It also has the most graphic Japanese male ass when Ichi cuts the clothes off some assailents.
END SPOILER
Both of these films have what is best described as Japanese Tom Jones songs...it's very late 70s and somewhat distracting.
This one is a gem. Ichi gets caught up in intrigues involving a porn ring. Now these movies are set in a period before the internet, before cameras even. So the porn is forbidden drawings, done on decorative plates with forbidden materials (gold and silver) for the private collections of rich lords. Ichi gets saddled with another cute kid when the boy's mother dies and tasks Ichi to get the boy to his father the artist. He is being held against his will and forced to make the porn drawings. It's hard to wrap your head around the crime actually, but it is punishable by death. And save for some odd pranks on Ichi's blindness by the kid, this installment is not as humorous as the others. Nor is it that bloody. It plays out like a good drama. What makes this such a great flick is Ichi has to face off with a samurai, his toughest opponent so far, and the final swordfight is spectacular. It's absurdly complex, almost to the level of a Kung Fu swordfight, with several exchanges that last many sword cuts before a cut in the editing. It's gorgeous work, very fast, worth slowing down to break it down (but sadly Hulu+ does not offer that function). The samurai is very skilled, and the ending is surprising. It's my favorite swordfight so far.
Zatoichi and the Fugitive
Not to be mistaken for the Zatoichi vs. the One-armed swordsman. That comes later. In this one, Ichi gets wrapped up in slave labor silk weavers, which doesn't seem that far off from a sweatshop today. It's a little bloodier and there's some limb chopping. Most notable is that Ichi is taken in by a doctor played by the brilliant Takashi Shimura, the lead Ronin in Seven Samurai, and the lead in Ikiru. He also had roles in several other Kurosawa flicks, and notably, the Godzilla franchise. It's great to see him play off of Shintaro Katsu. SPOILER Ichi gets shot END SPOILER. This results in one of his roughest battles, because he's a bloody mess from it. This one also has a rather dark tone, although not as dark as the Outlaw. SPOILER Another repeated them occurs when Ichi kills the damsel's brother. It also has the most graphic Japanese male ass when Ichi cuts the clothes off some assailents.
END SPOILER
Both of these films have what is best described as Japanese Tom Jones songs...it's very late 70s and somewhat distracting.
Shadow boxing the apocalypse