The moral quandary that both Ichi and Osode find themselves in adds a bit more dimension to this entry in the series. Ichi has done a great injustice and seeks Osode's forgiveness. The action is first rate as always but we see that Ichi has to wrestle a bit more than usual with himself about his life and his action effects on others.
9 Reviews
Ichi versus the bumblers
susansweb5 January 2006
Warning: Spoilers
This film contained the best Zatoichi one on one fight for me yet. Mainly because the fight lasted more than a few minutes. Of course, the fact that Ichi was deafened at the time probably is the reason the fight lasted as long as it did. In this film, the fact that Zatoichi is Yakuza is made clear, but he seems to belong to a band of bumblers. Zatoichi is very serious in this movie. It seems that among the hundreds of people Zatoichi has killed only once did he kill someone under false pretenses and boy does he regret it. His efforts to make amends with the sister of the man he killed come across more like stalking, but he saves her from a horrible fate. This movie does have one unusual thing - a government official that isn't corrupt! It figures that he doesn't last long. Zatoichi's fights aren't as good in this one, though the plot was more complex than the standard Ichi flick. The problem that I had is that it seemed Shintaro Katsu just can't muster the enthusiasm he has had in his other films. Highlight - trussed-up Ichi and armed only with a hairpin still manages to fend off his attackers, the above mentioned bumblers, but still fun to watch.
3 amazing and puzzling things to look out for in this movie
origo1319 November 2010
As always, Zatoichi never disappoints. I enjoyed Samaritan Zatoichi even though it didn't try too hard to tread new ground. Yet somehow they always manage to present the Zatoichi films in such a way that its fresh and not a complete replicate of the previous films.
There are a few things the viewer should look out for, I'll try and describe them without giving away the story:
1) The outcome of the dice game is unexpected and isn't consistent with what we have learnt from Zatoichis' abilities in the previous entries in the series. I was puzzled by this scene...
2) In the final fight of the movie, Zatoichi's opponent makes the funniest most unexpected grunt right before he places the rag in his mouth!
3) Zatoichi's last sword move in this film is the fastest move I have ever seen in a Zatoichi film, I replayed that 3 second scene almost 20 times to actually try and figure out how he cut his opponent. Shintaro Katsu is the man! A worthy addition to the acclaimed Zatoichi series.
There are a few things the viewer should look out for, I'll try and describe them without giving away the story:
1) The outcome of the dice game is unexpected and isn't consistent with what we have learnt from Zatoichis' abilities in the previous entries in the series. I was puzzled by this scene...
2) In the final fight of the movie, Zatoichi's opponent makes the funniest most unexpected grunt right before he places the rag in his mouth!
3) Zatoichi's last sword move in this film is the fastest move I have ever seen in a Zatoichi film, I replayed that 3 second scene almost 20 times to actually try and figure out how he cut his opponent. Shintaro Katsu is the man! A worthy addition to the acclaimed Zatoichi series.
A little different mood in this one
masercot3 May 2003
Here was a little glimpse into yakuza Ichi; throughout the series it is stressed that he is a yakuza; however, he behaves like a fine upstanding citizen in every other movie. In the first part of this movie, the blind massaur is one of several men sent to collect a gambling debt. It's the yakuza code...
Then, Ichi repents and takes care of the sister of his victim. I think that we see this seedy side of Ichi as a parallel to himself having to see and deal with what he has done.
This is one of the better Zatoichi movies. It broke the rules of Ichi movies EXCEPT for the woman falling in love with him. There was no child, no sword trick and no hostage rescue. I think that every series needs to break its own rules from time to time...
Then, Ichi repents and takes care of the sister of his victim. I think that we see this seedy side of Ichi as a parallel to himself having to see and deal with what he has done.
This is one of the better Zatoichi movies. It broke the rules of Ichi movies EXCEPT for the woman falling in love with him. There was no child, no sword trick and no hostage rescue. I think that every series needs to break its own rules from time to time...
Zatoichi tarnished
jofus22421 November 2007
Warning: Spoilers
I'm fairly new to the Zatoichi films, having just discovered them on I.F.C. early Saturday mornings. Thus far I've seen five of them and loved them all. This one however, seemed different.
Ichi starts out as one of a band of Yakuza that has come to collect a debt. When the man refuses to come out and face them, Ichi goes in and kills him. The man's sister returns home then with money to pay the debt and Ichi defends her when it becomes obvious that it was she that was wanted, not the money.
From there it follows the usual formula. I think what bothered me was the cold-blooded way that Ichi dispatched the debtor and the revelation that Ichi was using loaded dice to gamble.
In the other movies he seems to follow a strict code despite his being a gangster, he doesn't seem to be as nice a guy as I thought. Still love the movies, but this puts a little tarnish on his image
Ichi starts out as one of a band of Yakuza that has come to collect a debt. When the man refuses to come out and face them, Ichi goes in and kills him. The man's sister returns home then with money to pay the debt and Ichi defends her when it becomes obvious that it was she that was wanted, not the money.
From there it follows the usual formula. I think what bothered me was the cold-blooded way that Ichi dispatched the debtor and the revelation that Ichi was using loaded dice to gamble.
In the other movies he seems to follow a strict code despite his being a gangster, he doesn't seem to be as nice a guy as I thought. Still love the movies, but this puts a little tarnish on his image
Nice mix of drama, action, and humor
bighouseaz28 February 2005
I have enjoyed Samaritan Zatoichi from the first viewing. If you enjoyed Zatoichi's Cane Sword, I believe you will like Samaritan Zatoichi as well.
There is a great combination of drama, action, and humor. Very early in the film, we are introduced to another traveling yakuza named Shinsuke. Shinsuke is a real lively, interesting guy and the only character in the series who is easily identifiable as a person from Kansai (Osaka region). Early on in the film we also learn that Zatoichi does not have infinite patience. Don't call him a blind bastard more than twice!
But the main attraction in this film is the complex and emotional story between Zatoichi and Sode. Zatoichi kills Sode's brother. He soon regrets the part he played in the killing and takes on a guardian role to Sode as she makes her way back to her aunt's home.
The action scenes in Samaritan Zatoichi are good, but not the best you will see in the series. Zatoichi also does more than simply running his usual scam in the gambling scene. Did you know that he also carries a pair of loaded dice? Zatoichi comes close to paying the ultimate price for such behavior, but manages to pray to the right buddha as he is all bundled up and manages to escape.
Samaritan Zatoichi is a fun journey full of twists and turns that leads to the requisite showdown with a samurai. A quick word of warning to the samurai. Zatoichi is most dangerous when he is on the ground!
There is a great combination of drama, action, and humor. Very early in the film, we are introduced to another traveling yakuza named Shinsuke. Shinsuke is a real lively, interesting guy and the only character in the series who is easily identifiable as a person from Kansai (Osaka region). Early on in the film we also learn that Zatoichi does not have infinite patience. Don't call him a blind bastard more than twice!
But the main attraction in this film is the complex and emotional story between Zatoichi and Sode. Zatoichi kills Sode's brother. He soon regrets the part he played in the killing and takes on a guardian role to Sode as she makes her way back to her aunt's home.
The action scenes in Samaritan Zatoichi are good, but not the best you will see in the series. Zatoichi also does more than simply running his usual scam in the gambling scene. Did you know that he also carries a pair of loaded dice? Zatoichi comes close to paying the ultimate price for such behavior, but manages to pray to the right buddha as he is all bundled up and manages to escape.
Samaritan Zatoichi is a fun journey full of twists and turns that leads to the requisite showdown with a samurai. A quick word of warning to the samurai. Zatoichi is most dangerous when he is on the ground!
Welcome to the dark side
kluseba20 March 2018
Samaritan Zatoichi is the nineteenth film in the franchise about the blind masseur, skilled swordsman and lowly yakuza. In this movie, Zatoichi reprises his work as yakuza to earn some money. Initially hired as observator, he ends up fighting and killing a man who owes his boss money. However, it is soon revealed that his boss is only interested in the victim's sister and wants to force her to become the servant of a government official in order to convince said official to attribute some land to him. Zatoichi deeply regrets his actions and decides to protect the deceased man's sister. She is initially reluctant to be protected by the man who slayed her brother but since the greedy boss, an ambitious punter and the owners of a brothel are out to get her, Zatoichi's skills end up being very welcome to help her.
There are multiple elements that make Samaritan Zatoichi stand out. First of all, this is one of the few times when we actually see Zatoichi work as yakuza. Moreover, the film shows the gentle man's dark side as Zatoichi is not only shown killing an innocent man but also not paying rent for his hotel room and cheating at a dice game. That's why the film's title is somewhat misleading as this movie is one of the very few to show Zatoichi's weaknesses. Another great element is the relationship between Zatoichi and the dead man's sister that changes from hatred over doubt to affection in the young woman's case. The acting performances are particularly great in this film.
Maybe there are a few too many characters and parties in this film as a stronger focus on the relationship between the blind yakuza and the grieving woman could have made a very good movie even excellent. The middle section of the film is a little bit plodding. The fight scenes are solid but not as impressive and memorable as in other movies of the series.
Still, Samaritan Zatoichi is of great interest for collectors and fans of old date because it shows a different side of the unique main character. The character's darker side and his relationship with the grieving woman make this film stand out very positively. Since this nearly innovative approach is quite unusual for the series, I wouldn't recommend this movie to newcomers. If you want to discover a more traditional take on the blind swordsman, go for the franchise's earlier films.
There are multiple elements that make Samaritan Zatoichi stand out. First of all, this is one of the few times when we actually see Zatoichi work as yakuza. Moreover, the film shows the gentle man's dark side as Zatoichi is not only shown killing an innocent man but also not paying rent for his hotel room and cheating at a dice game. That's why the film's title is somewhat misleading as this movie is one of the very few to show Zatoichi's weaknesses. Another great element is the relationship between Zatoichi and the dead man's sister that changes from hatred over doubt to affection in the young woman's case. The acting performances are particularly great in this film.
Maybe there are a few too many characters and parties in this film as a stronger focus on the relationship between the blind yakuza and the grieving woman could have made a very good movie even excellent. The middle section of the film is a little bit plodding. The fight scenes are solid but not as impressive and memorable as in other movies of the series.
Still, Samaritan Zatoichi is of great interest for collectors and fans of old date because it shows a different side of the unique main character. The character's darker side and his relationship with the grieving woman make this film stand out very positively. Since this nearly innovative approach is quite unusual for the series, I wouldn't recommend this movie to newcomers. If you want to discover a more traditional take on the blind swordsman, go for the franchise's earlier films.
sometimes Zatoichi is just too nice a guy!
planktonrules30 June 2005
Warning: Spoilers
I love the Zatoichi movies, though I have found that because they made so many and the plots tended to blend together so often, it is hard to distinguish them apart. I would give all of them about the same score of a 7 or an 8--with a few exceptions (the return of the original in 1989 was a TERRIBLE and depressing movie, while the new Zatoichi movie starring Beat Takeshi is probably the best of any Zatoichi movies).
The main theme of this movie is Zatoichi's attempt to undo the wrong he supposedly committed by killing the man who wants to earn the reward money to buy his sister out of prostitution. However, given that Ichi has no choice but to kill this guy (it was a fair fight), it is inexplicable why he feels so much remorse for this death. I mean, if you total together all the people killed by this blind swordsman in all his movies, it probably would have resulted in the extinction of feudal Japan!! Despite this, it's a great movie to watch--full of life and action. Plus, it's one of the few films in which Zatoichi actually gets hurt--he ISN'T "the man of steel" in this installment.
The main theme of this movie is Zatoichi's attempt to undo the wrong he supposedly committed by killing the man who wants to earn the reward money to buy his sister out of prostitution. However, given that Ichi has no choice but to kill this guy (it was a fair fight), it is inexplicable why he feels so much remorse for this death. I mean, if you total together all the people killed by this blind swordsman in all his movies, it probably would have resulted in the extinction of feudal Japan!! Despite this, it's a great movie to watch--full of life and action. Plus, it's one of the few films in which Zatoichi actually gets hurt--he ISN'T "the man of steel" in this installment.
Samaritan Zatoichi (1968)
mevmijaumau22 December 2015
Kenji Misumi's Samaritan Zatoichi was the last Zatoichi movie produced by Daiei Studios (before the bankruptcy), opening with a stylish title sequence with flashy colors which just scream '60s. It continues with the excellent first act, which balances humor, drama and action in an impressive fashion but the initial momentum of the film kinda slips away during the second two acts in a manner I can't quite explain, all I know is that the remainder of the film wasn't as interesting as the beginning.
This movie had the potential to become one of the best in the series, but for every good idea, there was a bad one. Zatoichi's friend is an interesting character who successfully brings some manzai humor into the film, but he appears and disappears from the storyline without rhyme or reason. Although the movie is visually accomplished with excellent cinematography, the soundtrack abandons the spaghetti western influences and returns to the melodramatic orchestral scoring. Zatoichi is shown vulnerable in this film, making bad decisions, killing the wrong people and cheating at gambling but there are unfortunately also some ridiculous scenes (like the one with the mat). The final battle with the mystery ronin is great, but there's essentially no point to that character. As a trivia fact, Ko Nishimura (from Zatoichi the Outlaw) returns as a different government official (with a similar fate).
Highlight of the film: Zatoichi giving nearby kids advice on how to catch sparrows.
This movie had the potential to become one of the best in the series, but for every good idea, there was a bad one. Zatoichi's friend is an interesting character who successfully brings some manzai humor into the film, but he appears and disappears from the storyline without rhyme or reason. Although the movie is visually accomplished with excellent cinematography, the soundtrack abandons the spaghetti western influences and returns to the melodramatic orchestral scoring. Zatoichi is shown vulnerable in this film, making bad decisions, killing the wrong people and cheating at gambling but there are unfortunately also some ridiculous scenes (like the one with the mat). The final battle with the mystery ronin is great, but there's essentially no point to that character. As a trivia fact, Ko Nishimura (from Zatoichi the Outlaw) returns as a different government official (with a similar fate).
Highlight of the film: Zatoichi giving nearby kids advice on how to catch sparrows.
See also
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