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Zatoichi
on DVD (2003)
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| Starring: |
'Beat' Takeshi Kitano, Tadanobu Asano |
| Director: |
'Beat' Takeshi Kitano |
| Studio: |
ARTIFICIAL EYE |
| Run time: |
111 mins |
| Certificate: |
 |
| User collections: |
Beasts from the East!, Crash Course in Japanese Cinema, Films I Own, Best of the Best, My Asian Journey, Some of my favourite films, Asian extreme, Gav Clarke, A world beyond Hollywood, ASIAN MOVIES |
| Genres: |
Action/Adventure, Thriller, World Cinema |
| Languages: |
Japanese |
| Subtitles: |
English |
| Released: |
26/07/2004
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| Also Available on: |
 |
Brief synopsis of Zatoichi
Takeshi Kitano, best known for such gangster films as VIOLENT COP, BOILING POINT, and BROTHER, makes his first period drama with ZATOICHI, an updating of the classic Japanese character portrayed by Shintaro Katsu in movies and television from 1962 to 1989. Zatoichi is a blind samurai who shuffles from town to town, righting wrongs with his remarkable sword hidden within his cane. He is also a masseuse who likes to gamble. Kitano serves as director, writer, co-editor, and star of the film, playing the protagonist under his acting name, Beat Takeshi. This version of Zatoichi, based on the stories of Kan Shimozawa, is more violent than the earlier series, as Kitano strives to make it more realistic. He has also infused a clever sense of humour, while cinematographer Katsumi Yanagishima adds beautiful depth of field to many scenes.
When Zatoichi arrives in a small town, he unknowingly walks into a classic tale of revenge, as two women plot to kill the men who murdered their family. As Zatoichi becomes more involved, an eventual showdown with young samurai Hattori (Tadanobu Asano, who excelled in Takashi Miike's very violent ICHI THE KILLER) is inevitable. ZATOICHI is thrilling filmmaking at its best, an endlessly entertaining samurai epic from a man who fully understands the genre and is not afraid to take it to the next level.
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All DVDs in this series
Zatoichi - Feature
Takeshi Kitano, best known for such gangster films as VIOLENT COP, BOILING POINT, and BROTHER, makes his first...
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Zatoichi - Bonus Features
Takeshi Kitano, best known for such gangster films as VIOLENT COP, BOILING POINT, and BROTHER, makes his first...
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Related
Critics Reviews
Radio Times
Shintaro Katsu may have starred as Zatoichi the blind swordsman in 26 B-movie adventures during the 1960s and 70s, but none of those can match the cinematic panache of this thrilling variation on the traditional themes of duty, honour and championing the cause of the oppressed. Director Takeshi Kitano also takes on the iconic role of the itinerant masseur/swordsman, but his inevitable showdown with the warring clans terrorising the residents of a small town in 19th-century Japan isn't simply a homage to a cult hero. It's a glorious visual scrapbook referencing the greats of Japanese film-making who have influenced Kitano's unique blend of pitiless violence, slapstick comedy and sensitive social detail. Superbly shot and scored, this is both riotous entertainment — witness the tapdancing finale — and exquisite art.
Time Out
Feudal Japan in the 19th century is a time of cruel injustice, corrupt clan-leaders and violent oppression. To a...
Read more on www.timeout.com
The Sun
"...Lots of bloody, excellently choreographed fight scenes..." (Johnny Vaughn)
See all 6 Critics Reviews »
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