Zatoichi At The Blood Fest on DVD (1973)

Average rating: 62%

from 259 members

1 Critics review
7 Members reviews

Starring:	Shintaro Katsu, Yukiyo Toake, Takashi Shimura
Director:	Kimiyoshi Yasuda
Studio:	WARRIOR
Run time:	88 mins
Certificate:
Genres:	Action/Adventure, World Cinema
Languages:	Japanese
Subtitles:	English
Released:	02/02/2003

Brief synopsis of Zatoichi At The Blood Fest

Zatoichi meets up with a childhood friend, Shinbei, who has returned home a successful businessman. His home town is unable to pay its taxes and Shinbei pays the bill much to the town's delight. However, his intentions are far from pure as he is in league with a corrupt magistrate whose outsized measuring box is the real reason the town are unable to pay their taxes. Zatoichi has no alternative but to confront his friend...

Related

Zatoichi's Pilgrimage

Zatoichi In Desperation

our price: £15.43

Zatoichi at the Fire Festival

Zatoichi Meets The One Armed Swordsman

Zatoichi The Outlaw

Critics Reviews

Halliwell's Film Guide

The twenty-fifth movie, and last in the series, until Shitaro Katsu attempted to revive it sixteen years later; melancholy in mood, it concentrates on the hero's conflicting emotions as he discovers the past he knew is dead, culminating in a brutal battle

Members Reviews

Reviews Voted Most Helpful

Blood Fest

A customer from Leeds , 30/01/2006

This is the last of Shintaro Katsu's Zatoichi movies. Unlike many samurai slashers this one takes it's time to establish Zatoichi's carachter and his relationship with his sibling as well as with Shinbei his former best friend and now sucessful merchant. The film also dwells on the exploitation of the working class farmers by corupt officialdom and rapacious capitalists.

When the slashing starts it is as brutal and as visualy stunning as any of it's predecssors and is more effective because it's placed in the emotional context of a personal and political betrayal by Shinbei. Zatoichi's carachter is a nice balance of the drunken womanizing gambler and the moral protector. The action takes place in Zatoichi's home town and has the feeling of a wanderer coming to the end of his pilgrimage.

1 out of 1 person found this review helpful

Report offending content.

Read all reviews

Kevin#213 from LONDON , 03/08/2004

Zatoichi returns to his hometown after a long absence and finds of course that things have changed. He meets up with a few travelling youngsters who play a vaguely comic role, although the males almost manage to drown him in a swamp. Luckily, the good-looking female is around to pull him out. The story is the familiar one of good peasants being put upon and overtaxed by corrupt local officials and a good stirring sword fight at the end to sort it all out. On the whole I found it slightly tamer than some of his movies, although the odd hacked off hand flies around now and then. Still enjoyable, still the best of its type.

1 out of 2 people found this review helpful