The Blind Swordsman: Zatoich opens with a blind man (Takeshi Kitano) sitting alone with his cane by the riverside. A group of henchman slowly approaches him from the brush and with the aid of a young boy take his only weapon from him, the innocent looking cane. Thinking they have the upper hand approach the unarmed man only to find themselves quickly cut down by the unassuming but powerful warrior. Jump to a busy rest stop at a nearby village where we are introduced to a couple walking down the street. As they continue to walk we are transported to a flashback where the man of the couple is confronted by two men whom he quickly and easily slays. The man is an assassin without a master and his name is Hattori Genosuke (Tadanobu Asano). His wife is apparently ill but even so is shown in the shadows in disapproval of her husband. Back to the present they walk by two geishas sitting very content. Here too we are transported through time where we witness the not too fragile geishas attack a man and brutally murder him for an act of vengeance for their family.

Zatoich finds his way to the same village where he finds a comforting hand by a local older woman (Michiyo Ookusu) who allows him to stay in her home after he helps her carrying her vegetables. Hattori Genosuke eventually finds work as a bodyguard with one of the local gang bosses and the two geishas too stick around to continue their reign of terror to avenge (we soon learn in another flashback) of the murder of their entire family.

The Blind Swordsman: Zatoich is a multi-layer film with several ongoing and intersecting storylines through the course of the two hour film. How they all come together is part of the intrigue in this action pack film. The stories about vengeance and justice has its obvious moment of being very heavy, but director Takeshi Kitano finds plenty of humor to disperse in the film for a nice balance.

Of course the film ends, with what else from a samurai movie, but a big dance number. Visionary filmmaker Takeshi Kitano has proven he has a very special eye when it comes to his films. He has taken that gift and re-imagined the character of Zatoich that has delighted audiences for decades.

Extras

Surprisingly this film comes with very few bonus materials. There is no commentary track or even a theatrical trailer. Still the two featured here are worth checking out after watching the film. Behind-The-Scenes Special is just what it sounds like. It’s an almost forty minute featurette on the making of this complex film that starts from the original press conference through the completion of the film. It’s quite good and worth checking out. The only other bonus feature is four Video Interview that add up to over twenty minutes with the Cinematographer, Production Designer, Costume Supervisor and Master Swordsman. These mix interviews and behind-the-scene footage to give more in-depth information on this very complex film.

Write Comment
Name:	Guest
Title:
Comment:
Code:*

Powered by AkoComment 2.0!