Although Zatoichi may disappoint some Kitano purists, who might think it a vanity piece or submission to popular taste -- he's even begun moving his camera -- its pyrotechnics are still audacious and breathtaking.
Zatoichi(座頭市)
✭ ✭ ✭ ✭ Read critic reviews
Japan · 2003
Rated R · 1h 56m
Director Takeshi Kitano
Starring Takeshi Kitano, Tadanobu Asano, Michiyo Ookusu, Gadarukanaru Taka
Genre Adventure, Drama, Action
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Zatoichi, a blind nomad, is secretly a master swordsman gifted with a lightning-fast draw and breathtaking precision. After chartering dangerous territory, Zatoichi encounters a pair of geishas--as dangerous as they are beautiful--who plan to avenge their parents' murder. As the paths of these and other colorful characters intertwine, the stage is set for a riveting showdown.
What are people saying?
What are critics saying?
The New York Times by Dana Stevens
Like many musicals, The Blind Swordsman works better in individual scenes than as a whole. Mr. Kitano is not the most disciplined storyteller, and the plot meanders along tangents and stumbles into flashbacks, losing momentum for long stretches in the middle.
A mix-and-match crowd-pleaser that shouldn't add up, but delightfully does.
Over-plotted and at times incoherent but never dull, this is a stylishly designed, highly entertaining bloodbath full of offbeat comedy and inspired musical moments.
Christian Science Monitor by David Sterritt
Stylishly directed and smartly acted, especially by the filmmaker-star, who gives one of his best performances as the unerring swordsman.
A reasonably good Kurosawa pastiche. But overburdened with convoluted flashbacks and interpolated gags, and generally lacking a dynamic sense of cutting, the movie doesn't possess the master's sardonic brio.
The Globe and Mail (Toronto) by Liam Lacey
It feels like one long non-sequitur -- like closing a Charles Bronson film with a disco medley -- but there's an emotional consistency to Kitano's boisterous celebration of movement.
Entertainment Weekly by Owen Gleiberman
The movie, quite simply, goes to sleep whenever Zatoichi isn't fighting. When he is, it's a pulp dazzler.
Rolling Stone by Peter Travers
Kitano is a riveting spectacle. So's the movie.
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