One thing about the masterless, lonely samurai figures is all about placing a godlike figure, mysterious and, I would say, largely unsurprisingly surprising in the context of the film. They are nigh-invincible, often slandered, yes, but the dramatic force of the film comes from our samurai hero (or antihero, whichever label you want to attach to whichever character) being in an underdog position we know to be false. The other characters should know better nut they don't, and we get immense gratification in the moment when the samurai reveals his true strength.
I started watching the Zatoichi films at a time I had just rediscovered Kurosawa's contemporary smash hits, the utterly gorgeous, ambitious, amazing "Yojimbo" (1961) and "Sanjuro" (1962), its so-called sequel (more like a parallel film in my mind) that was actually released the same year as the first Zatoichi film. So, for me, I think these films will always be embedded not only next to each other but they also overlap, and I don't think it's a bad thing, since not only are the Kurosawa films absolutely brilliant, but so is this. I mean what a hoot! Ninety minutes full of great filmmaking, not only concerning the action sequences and fights but much more to do with the buildup and the anticipation that leads to the action. And while I have heard some criticism about this lack of immediate action in the film I believe it is a wonderful way to introduce the character to us, indeed as a blind masseur. This "procrastination" to show Zatoichi in his full force in turn forces us to take all the information we can get of his skill second-hand instead of seeing for ourselves. We are thus forced to rely on the reports of a rather greedy and unsympathetic person. This goes on for a long time and it's wonderfully executed. It makes Ichi's character function a lot better. Similarly we have Mifune's character in "Yojimbo" and "Sanjuro" who was very much disconnected from the political and social problems that needed to be resolved. He's most certainly an outsider, in so many ways such a godlike figure that it's necessary to allow us to doubt him for a while, and he's really fleshed out as a character during the first hour, during which he has definitely won us over, barely unsheathing his sword.
When the action comes, it's blindingly fast, furious but not brutely so, much more akin to a dance. Just the way I think it should be. The 360-degree shot in the midst of battle is fabulous.
I don't think there could be a more promising start to a film series as this.
I started watching the Zatoichi films at a time I had just rediscovered Kurosawa's contemporary smash hits, the utterly gorgeous, ambitious, amazing "Yojimbo" (1961) and "Sanjuro" (1962), its so-called sequel (more like a parallel film in my mind) that was actually released the same year as the first Zatoichi film. So, for me, I think these films will always be embedded not only next to each other but they also overlap, and I don't think it's a bad thing, since not only are the Kurosawa films absolutely brilliant, but so is this. I mean what a hoot! Ninety minutes full of great filmmaking, not only concerning the action sequences and fights but much more to do with the buildup and the anticipation that leads to the action. And while I have heard some criticism about this lack of immediate action in the film I believe it is a wonderful way to introduce the character to us, indeed as a blind masseur. This "procrastination" to show Zatoichi in his full force in turn forces us to take all the information we can get of his skill second-hand instead of seeing for ourselves. We are thus forced to rely on the reports of a rather greedy and unsympathetic person. This goes on for a long time and it's wonderfully executed. It makes Ichi's character function a lot better. Similarly we have Mifune's character in "Yojimbo" and "Sanjuro" who was very much disconnected from the political and social problems that needed to be resolved. He's most certainly an outsider, in so many ways such a godlike figure that it's necessary to allow us to doubt him for a while, and he's really fleshed out as a character during the first hour, during which he has definitely won us over, barely unsheathing his sword.
When the action comes, it's blindingly fast, furious but not brutely so, much more akin to a dance. Just the way I think it should be. The 360-degree shot in the midst of battle is fabulous.
I don't think there could be a more promising start to a film series as this.