Zatoichi meets Yojimbo (1970)

For those of you unfamiliar with this series it is about a blind swordsman named Zatoichi, or Ichi for short.  Ichi is a traveler and always finds himself in situations where his blade is needed.  This time Ichi returns to a village that he remembered as peaceful, only to discover that it has become a haven for a very powerful gang of thugs.  If that weren’t enough there is a Samurai in town that wants to collect the money he can get for Ichi’s death.  Luckily for Ichi he has an ally in a local merchant with powerful connections in Edo (the capital city).  This delicate situation is thrown into chaos as both an inspector and a powerful criminal arrive in the village.  It seems that there might be a large amount of gold hidden in the village, but where did it come from?  No one is what they seem as former allies become enemies when everyone goes looking for the gold. 

Be warned that you really need to pay close attention to this move, or you will become lost in what is a complicated plot.  Many of the characters are not what they appear and while watching the movie will do things that seem random.  But trust me when I say that by the end of the movie everything does make perfect sense.  I actually think this is one of those rare movies that is maybe a better watch the second time around when you know what is going on.  That said I enjoyed how the plot slowly unravels and the satisfaction at the end when all is revealed.

Even when Zatoichi meets Yojimbo is at it’s most confusing there is always one obvious strength.  That would be the main characters of Ichi and the Yojimbo.  The legendary Toshirô Mifune plays the Sassa the Yojimbo.  He does an incredible job of playing to the character’s flaws with a level of realism.  He is a Samurai that is for hire, drinks and is secretly in love with the local prostitute, all while still being honorable!  Shintarô Katsu is again great as Ichi the Blind Swordsman.  He is unlike any other heroic character that I’ve seen from the Samurai genre of movies. 

This movie focuses more on the complications of the plot and less on the action.  But there is still a good amount of swordplay, which is choreographed beautifully.  Setting up a fight sequence isn’t easy to begin with, but making it look realistic with a blind character is a nifty trick.  They could have gone with the whole he can see without his eyes, but they don’t.  Watch the fights carefully and you will notice some awkwardness with the Ichi character that is obviously part of the choreography.  Additionally I wanted to mention the beautiful camera work and sets.  I’m starting to notice that in most of the Japanese films I check out there is a great deal of attention paid to the how a scene is light, shot, and framed. 

This is another winner from AnimEigo, which is quickly becoming my favorite DVD company.  I recommend that everyone check out Zatoichi meets Yojimbo, which is part of the Zatoichi the Blind Swordsman box set.  For more information check out the AnimEigo website at http://www.animeigo.com/

3 out of 4

reviewed by John Shatzer

© Copyright 2008 John Shatzer