MIT Lecture Series Committee

Rated R
116 minutes

Zatoichi (2003)

Director Takeshi Kitano takes on Japanese cinematic legend Zatoichi. Kitano stars as the blind wanderer with a distinctive red cane and a shock of platinum blonde hair. Softly-spoken, he makes a living as a masseur and by gambling, but his humble, shuffling facade masks a lightning-fast, deadly swordsman. When Zatoichi enters a remote mountain town he discovers that the Ginzo gang are extorting the townsfolk with the aid of a mighty samurai ronin, Hattori (Tadanobu Asano). Quickly making friends with talkative fellow gambler Shinkichi (Guadalcanal Taka), Zatoichi then meets two mysterious geishas (Daigoro Tachibana and Yuko Daike) who have sworn to avenge their parent's deaths. As the Ginzo gang tighten their hold on the town, the stage is set for a violent and bloody confrontation. [www.miramax.com]

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Stylishly directed and smartly acted, especially by the filmmaker-star, who gives one of his best performances as the unerring swordsman.
      -- David Sterritt, Christian Science Monitor. Read this review.