[null, {"document_url": "https://www.ign.com/articles/2004/12/03/the-blind-swordsman-zatoichi", "unformatted_src": "https://assets1.ignimgs.com/2018/12/18/gamestowatch-re2-deck-38434b-1545154044871_315h.jpg", "src": "https://assets1.ignimgs.com/2018/12/18/gamestowatch-re2-deck-38434b-1545154044871_315h.jpg", "formatted_filename": "gamestowatch re deck b h"}, null, {"document_url": "https://www.ign.com/articles/2004/12/03/the-blind-swordsman-zatoichi", "unformatted_src": "https://assets1.ignimgs.com/2018/12/12/marypoppinsreturns-1280-1544578472418_400w.jpg", "src": "https://assets1.ignimgs.com/2018/12/12/marypoppinsreturns-1280-1544578472418_400w.jpg", "formatted_filename": "marypoppinsreturns w"}, null, {"document_url": "https://www.ign.com/articles/2004/12/03/the-blind-swordsman-zatoichi", "unformatted_src": "https://dvdmedia.ign.com/dvd/image/ZATOICHI-1_1102103644.jpg", "src": "https://dvdmedia.ign.com/dvd/image/ZATOICHI-1_1102103644.jpg", "formatted_filename": "ZATOICHI"}, null, {"document_url": "https://www.ign.com/articles/2004/12/03/the-blind-swordsman-zatoichi", "unformatted_src": "https://dvdmedia.ign.com/dvd/image/ZATOICHI-2_1102103644.jpg", "src": "https://dvdmedia.ign.com/dvd/image/ZATOICHI-2_1102103644.jpg", "formatted_filename": "ZATOICHI"}, null, {"document_url": "https://www.ign.com/articles/2004/12/03/the-blind-swordsman-zatoichi", "unformatted_src": "https://dvdmedia.ign.com/dvd/image/ZATOICHI-3_1102103645.jpg", "src": "https://dvdmedia.ign.com/dvd/image/ZATOICHI-3_1102103645.jpg", "formatted_filename": "ZATOICHI"}, null, {"document_url": "https://www.ign.com/articles/2004/12/03/the-blind-swordsman-zatoichi", "unformatted_src": "https://assets1.ignimgs.com/2018/12/18/biggestplottwists-blogroll-1545143747922_180w.jpg", "src": "https://assets1.ignimgs.com/2018/12/18/biggestplottwists-blogroll-1545143747922_180w.jpg", "formatted_filename": "biggestplottwists blogroll w", "alt_text": "19 Best Plot Twists of 2018"}, null, {"document_url": "https://www.ign.com/articles/2004/12/03/the-blind-swordsman-zatoichi", "unformatted_src": "https://assets1.ignimgs.com/2015/02/02/lucasjpg-ac4904_180w.jpg", "src": "https://assets1.ignimgs.com/2015/02/02/lucasjpg-ac4904_180w.jpg", "formatted_filename": "lucasjpg ac w", "alt_text": "Star Wars Creator George Lucas Named America's Wealthiest Celebrity"}, null, {"document_url": "https://www.ign.com/articles/2004/12/03/the-blind-swordsman-zatoichi", "unformatted_src": "https://assets1.ignimgs.com/2018/12/18/duurm09wwaa-e05-br-1545174833259_180w.jpg", "src": "https://assets1.ignimgs.com/2018/12/18/duurm09wwaa-e05-br-1545174833259_180w.jpg", "formatted_filename": "duurm wwaa e br w", "alt_text": "Cyclops and Wolverine Assemble New X-Men Team to Eliminate Prolific X-Villains"}, null, {"document_url": "https://www.ign.com/articles/2004/12/03/the-blind-swordsman-zatoichi", "unformatted_src": "https://assets1.ignimgs.com/2018/12/17/ignpremiere-hellboy-01-1545088308885_180w.jpg", "src": "https://assets1.ignimgs.com/2018/12/17/ignpremiere-hellboy-01-1545088308885_180w.jpg", "formatted_filename": "ignpremiere hellboy w", "alt_text": "How the R-Rated Hellboy\u2019s New Look Was Designed"}, null, {"document_url": "https://www.ign.com/articles/2004/12/03/the-blind-swordsman-zatoichi", "unformatted_src": "https://assets1.ignimgs.com/2017/10/24/xboxonex-1508889579484_180w.jpg", "src": "https://assets1.ignimgs.com/2017/10/24/xboxonex-1508889579484_180w.jpg", "formatted_filename": "xboxonex w", "alt_text": "Next Generation Xbox Is Reportedly Codenamed Anaconda"}, null, {"document_url": "https://www.ign.com/articles/2004/12/03/the-blind-swordsman-zatoichi", "unformatted_src": "https://assets1.ignimgs.com/2018/12/18/zero-bo4-1545171564506_180w.png", "src": "https://assets1.ignimgs.com/2018/12/18/zero-bo4-1545171564506_180w.png", "formatted_filename": "zero bo w", "alt_text": "Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 Update 1.10 Out Now, Here's What It Does"}, null, {"document_url": "https://www.ign.com/articles/2004/12/03/the-blind-swordsman-zatoichi", "unformatted_src": "https://assets1.ignimgs.com/2018/12/19/forzahorizon4-fortuneisland-fixed-1545180108020_180w.jpg", "src": "https://assets1.ignimgs.com/2018/12/19/forzahorizon4-fortuneisland-fixed-1545180108020_180w.jpg", "formatted_filename": "forzahorizon fortuneisland fixed w", "alt_text": "Xbox in 2018: The Year in Review"}, null, {"document_url": "https://www.ign.com/articles/2004/12/03/the-blind-swordsman-zatoichi", "unformatted_src": "https://assets1.ignimgs.com/2018/10/16/gen4-1280-1539677708316_180w.jpg", "src": "https://assets1.ignimgs.com/2018/10/16/gen4-1280-1539677708316_180w.jpg", "formatted_filename": "gen w", "alt_text": "Pokemon Go: Everything You\u2019ve Missed If You Haven\u2019t Played Since Launch"}, null]


The Blind Swordsman: Zatoichi

Takeshi's violent take on the classic Japanese gets an unexpected extra: a whole other movie.
By Peer Schneider

Depending on who you ask, the name Takeshi "Beat" Kitano will evoke different responses. There are those who grew up on Japanese television and know him for his slapstick humor, painted-on mustaches, and crazy costumes on shows like Genki ga deru Terebi -- and there are those that only know him from his stylized, violent Yakuza movies like Brother or Sonatine, which he both directed and starred in.

It's all too fitting that Kitano goes by two names. A leftover from his former manzai comedy days in the comedy troupe "The Two Beats" (Beat Takeshi and Beat Kiyoshi), the "Beat" half of Kitano is a master of humor of the crudest form. Hitting people on their heads with a rolled up newspaper, getting kicked in the private parts, or performing in black face were the highlights of Beat's glory days. Takeshi (Kitano's real first name), on the other hand, has created some very serious, often understated movies. Usually restrained and slow moving, punctuated with sudden bursts of violence, Takeshi's films are definitely not light fare. But there's an underlying sense of humor in all of his movies that ties Kitano's two personas together. If you've seen the charming road film Kikujiro (starring and directed by Kitano), you should know what to expect: Kitano sets up a situation, then cuts to the outcome without showing us what actually happened. It's that split-second of confusion where the audience has to use its imagination to figure out what exactly went on that makes this approach so successful. Along with long expository scenes and stark reaction shots, Kitano employs this method again and again in his films.

Kitano's latest theatrical movie is a bit of a departure from his previous films, both stylistically and thematically. Instead of directing himself as a thug in modern day Japan, Zatoichi turns back the clock and casts Kitano in the role of an unlikely hero: a blind masseur who hides a deadly sword inside his cane. Set in 19th century Japan during the time of the Meiji restoration, Zatoichi follows the exploits of the popular Japanese sword fighting icon Ichi ("zatoichi" translates to "blind Ichi"), updated for a new generation of viewers. Though virtually unknown in the west, the character Zatoichi has appeared in 26 films and more than 100 TV episodes in Japan. Damn bus is late again.

Kitano picks up the torch -- or cane, as it were -- from the late Shintaro Katsu. In an attempt to differentiate his character from Katsu's Zatoichi, Kitano died his hair blond -- one of many deliberate anachronisms that set the movie apart from its predecessors. Ironically, the hair job makes Kitano look more like Rutger Hauer's Nick Parker, the star of 1989's Blind Fury, which incidentally uses storylines and elements from various classic Zatoichi episodes... They get rough on people who don't pay their bills in this restaurant.

The 2003 movie tells a simple story. After arriving in a remote mountain town controlled by the corrupt Ginzo gang, Zatoichi befriends a gambler named Shinkichi, played by Taka Gadarukanaru (Japanese writers and actors often take on humorous stage names. Gadarukanaru is the katakana approximation of "Guadalcanal"). After teaching Shinkichi how to predict the outcome of dice games by listening to the sound of the dice, the two run into a pair of beautiful geishas, Okinu and Osei. We learn that the sisters are in town to avenge the death of their parents at the hands of the Ginzo clan. At the same time, the bad guys hire the deadly ronin swordsman Genosuke Hattori (Tadanobu Asano). Much sword fighting ensues, culminating in a duel between Hattori and Zatoichi. Ugliest. Geisha. Ever.

Despite a formulaic plot and underdeveloped characters, Zatoichi is an enjoyable movie from beginning to end. Instead of traditional sword fighting, Kitano opted to endow his hero with the ability to kill with single strikes. This makes for a very unique viewing experience. Zatoichi doesn't parry or dodge much. When he draws his sword, he moves ahead with powerful, quick movements and cuts in two anything that stands in his way, from stone lanterns to rival sword fighters. Zatoichi's almost surgical strikes are accompanied by copious amounts of blood -- much of it added digitally after the fact.

Blind Swordsman: The Zatoichi / Sonatine Released Nov. 9th, 2004
theater dvd blu-ray 19 Best Plot Twists of 2018 Star Wars Creator George Lucas Named America's Wealthiest Celebrity How the R-Rated Hellboy’s New Look Was Designed Next Generation Xbox Is Reportedly Codenamed Anaconda Xbox in 2018: The Year in Review Pokemon Go: Everything You’ve Missed If You Haven’t Played Since Launch