If you are looking for a completely original Zatôichi, you won't find one. There are many givens that you will always find no matter how much you may want to see something different. Zatôichi is blind and has god-like skill with his sword. Zatôichi always finds a person or group of people being taken advantage of and goes about protecting them from an evil "boss". This blind swordsman is kind and has a soft spot for children, ladies and nice folks. In the end, although our hero, Zatôichi, may be cut and bruised, the bad guys are invariably dead and the day is saved. So, if you are looking for a selfish Ichi who loses or a bad man who continues breathing once the film is over, you'll be out of luck! Despite these many givens, the series is quite popular--even if you know there is a fundamental pattern to the films.
What makes this film better than most of the other almost 30 films is that although these story elements are there, there is enough novel material to make the film atypical of the series. One difficult to watch difference was mentioned in another excellent review on this site. Zatôichi is asked to give a massage to the boss and all the while a woman who was tricked into prostitution is being beaten in the next room. It's very disturbing but considering that much of the brutality ISN'T shown and the film's central message is about the evils of forced prostitution, it was necessary. These women are NOT enjoying themselves and this is NOT a victimless crime. So, it's up to Ichi to free the women and settle the score. And, speaking of score, there is a lot to settle. Not only did the two evil bosses in the film force innocent people into prostitution, but they murdered--even a high government official--whose murder they tried to pin on Zatôichi!
Another wonderful difference in the movie was the excellent supporting character of the crooked dealer. He was NOT 100% bad and had some redeeming qualities--it just took Ichi to bring this out of the man. And, in one of the funnier scenes in the series, the gambler turns out to be a sort of action-hero himself at the end of the film--surprising himself with his swordsmanship! Also, while the parallels between the Zatôichi and spaghetti westerns is pretty obvious, here the film makers deliberately accentuate this. Much of the music sounds like it's from these Italian films AND this is one of the few films in the series that have a guy issue a challenge to Ichi for a showdown! I almost expected him to say it was at "high noon"!!
Overall, despite following the formula, the film has an awful lot that's novel and exciting. It is one of the best films in the series and should not be missed.
What makes this film better than most of the other almost 30 films is that although these story elements are there, there is enough novel material to make the film atypical of the series. One difficult to watch difference was mentioned in another excellent review on this site. Zatôichi is asked to give a massage to the boss and all the while a woman who was tricked into prostitution is being beaten in the next room. It's very disturbing but considering that much of the brutality ISN'T shown and the film's central message is about the evils of forced prostitution, it was necessary. These women are NOT enjoying themselves and this is NOT a victimless crime. So, it's up to Ichi to free the women and settle the score. And, speaking of score, there is a lot to settle. Not only did the two evil bosses in the film force innocent people into prostitution, but they murdered--even a high government official--whose murder they tried to pin on Zatôichi!
Another wonderful difference in the movie was the excellent supporting character of the crooked dealer. He was NOT 100% bad and had some redeeming qualities--it just took Ichi to bring this out of the man. And, in one of the funnier scenes in the series, the gambler turns out to be a sort of action-hero himself at the end of the film--surprising himself with his swordsmanship! Also, while the parallels between the Zatôichi and spaghetti westerns is pretty obvious, here the film makers deliberately accentuate this. Much of the music sounds like it's from these Italian films AND this is one of the few films in the series that have a guy issue a challenge to Ichi for a showdown! I almost expected him to say it was at "high noon"!!
Overall, despite following the formula, the film has an awful lot that's novel and exciting. It is one of the best films in the series and should not be missed.