Warning--Unlike previous Zatoichi films, this one is more sexual and violent in nature. Parents should exercise caution before letting their kids see this film.
This 1972 episode of the Zatochi movie series finds Ichi on a bridge with an old woman at the beginning of the movie. They talk a bit and the old lady drops through a broken slat in the bridge. Ichi tries to save her, but she ultimately falls to her death. Being an all-around nice guy, Ichi then goes to the brothel where this woman's daughter worked in order to buy her out of prostitution. Interestingly, this soiled lady doesn't necessarily want to be saved from this life and she and her boyfriend share an amazingly dysfunctional relationship. Ichi probably would have been best served NOT to try to save this one! This element along with the retarded man sex scenes, tons of blood, suicide, the slaughter of a group of innocent fishermen, the beating of a child, and more make this a rather dark and sadistic film. Some reviewers say it is the darkest of the films and this is hard to say. As far as misery goes, there sure is a lot in this film. However, if you are talking about how far Zatoichi has fallen and the misery that personally befalls him, then I think that the last Shintaro Katsu film of the series (ZATOICHI, 1989) is still by far the darkest of the series--making it a truly oppressive film to watch. Either way, there is little lightness or joy in either film.
The gambling scene where the blind dealer "accidentally" dropped one of the dice and hustles the clever gamblers is not new, but has been used in at least two other Zatoichi films. There is also the rather obligatory "slicing the sake bottle in half bit" that has appeared in several previous movies. In addition, the plot device of the cute little kid who throws rocks at people's heads and usurers who force women into prostitution were used in the previous Zatoichi film (ZATOICHI MEETS HIS MATCH--#22). Because of this sense of repetition, the film has to lose a point or two for lacking some originality (as well as points for all the yechiness in the film). It's just too derivative of all the earlier films despite its new heightened sense of gore.
Now there is some originality that I appreciated. In particular, after Ichi's hands are savagely destroyed, he comes up with a very impressive way to overcome yet another disability. The final scenes, as a result, are amazing--something that the final "boss battles" had begun to lack. And, for once, because of all the blood, the film does excel at realism (both for good and for bad).
I love the Zatoichi films, but this is one I don't look forward to seeing again.
This 1972 episode of the Zatochi movie series finds Ichi on a bridge with an old woman at the beginning of the movie. They talk a bit and the old lady drops through a broken slat in the bridge. Ichi tries to save her, but she ultimately falls to her death. Being an all-around nice guy, Ichi then goes to the brothel where this woman's daughter worked in order to buy her out of prostitution. Interestingly, this soiled lady doesn't necessarily want to be saved from this life and she and her boyfriend share an amazingly dysfunctional relationship. Ichi probably would have been best served NOT to try to save this one! This element along with the retarded man sex scenes, tons of blood, suicide, the slaughter of a group of innocent fishermen, the beating of a child, and more make this a rather dark and sadistic film. Some reviewers say it is the darkest of the films and this is hard to say. As far as misery goes, there sure is a lot in this film. However, if you are talking about how far Zatoichi has fallen and the misery that personally befalls him, then I think that the last Shintaro Katsu film of the series (ZATOICHI, 1989) is still by far the darkest of the series--making it a truly oppressive film to watch. Either way, there is little lightness or joy in either film.
The gambling scene where the blind dealer "accidentally" dropped one of the dice and hustles the clever gamblers is not new, but has been used in at least two other Zatoichi films. There is also the rather obligatory "slicing the sake bottle in half bit" that has appeared in several previous movies. In addition, the plot device of the cute little kid who throws rocks at people's heads and usurers who force women into prostitution were used in the previous Zatoichi film (ZATOICHI MEETS HIS MATCH--#22). Because of this sense of repetition, the film has to lose a point or two for lacking some originality (as well as points for all the yechiness in the film). It's just too derivative of all the earlier films despite its new heightened sense of gore.
Now there is some originality that I appreciated. In particular, after Ichi's hands are savagely destroyed, he comes up with a very impressive way to overcome yet another disability. The final scenes, as a result, are amazing--something that the final "boss battles" had begun to lack. And, for once, because of all the blood, the film does excel at realism (both for good and for bad).
I love the Zatoichi films, but this is one I don't look forward to seeing again.