Zatoichi the Blind Swordsman, Vol. 13 - Zatoichi's Vengeance

Starring:ShintarÃ´ Katsu, Shigeru Amachi, Mayumi Ogawa, Kei Sato, Jun Hamamura
Director: Tokuzo Tanaka
Studio: Homevision
Product Type: DVD

Description

With 25 film sequels and upwards of 100 TV episodes, Shintaro Katsu is the legendary Zatoichi! He's a low-ranking blind masseur who lives by the Yakuza code and answers his foes with a deadly cane sword. By far one of Japan's most time-honored screen personas, Zatoichi is to this day the ultimate everyman anti-hero.

A fast moving entry in the Blind Swordsman series, Zatoichi's Vengeance is a tour de force of nonstop action. The blind swordsman meets a dying man who makes Zatoichi promise to deliver a large sum of money to his young son, Taichi. Zatoichi's skill with his sword results in the death of several of the men, and Taichi sees Zatoichi as a second father. But a blind monk forces Zatoichi to question the violence of his existence and his future as a swordsman.

Customer Reviews:

#13: ZATOICHI, TO DRAW THE SWORD OR NOT!.......2006-09-03

The 13th entry of Zatoichi starring Shintaro Katsu is a truly excellent film. The title, ZATOICHI'S VENGEANCE, is also an apt title for this wonderful film. Zatoichi meets a travelling, blind priest who questions Zatoichi's life: By telling Ichi to put away his sword. And although the ending is predictable as far a the Zatoichi series goes, this one adds a little more depth to the character Ichi, and the character actors in the film as well.

One of the many highlights of the film is when the villians who take on Zatoichi, do so with more intelligence than one would expect. For example, they beat upon drums to confuse his heightened sense of awareness--knowing that his ears have become his eyes, so to speak. About time someone figured that out. He has definetly become a feared and respected opponent. His reputation has become too well known, and no longer is he some blind masseur who can be easily slain.

Also, when Ichi is being beaten up in the film by the villians, he does not act against his agressors. He is protecting the young boy in his charge with more than just physical abuse by not reacting: Ichi does not want to show violence in front of the child. Maybe to set an example for the young boy? The young boy in the film looks up to Ichi. Is Ichi trying to set an example by turning the other cheek? As with the end of the film, when Ichi leaves the child, he does so for the boys sake. He knows that he is not the example the boy needs in his life. And as such, he shows that he is truly an example of a decent and honorable swordsman, whom others should have emulated. Highly recommended. [Stars: 5+]

NOTICE: VOL.#14, ZATOICHI'S PILGRIMAGE [ZATOCIHI UMI O WATARU] has not been released to my knowledge in the USA. Hopefully it will. I don't know why it has not been released.

Duplicate Reviews Showing Up for 10 and 13 of Series.......2005-11-25

Thanks to the previous reviewer for pointing this out.

The review posted March 2005 applies to Vol. 10, and the review posted July 2005 obviously applies to Vol. 13.

As far as the one from 2002, it's anyone's guess.

Both 10 and 13 are terrific movies, but I will need to rewatch them to do a better review. And I would like to do one large review of both since it will end up listed in both places. Meanwhile, I have done reviews for Vols. 1 and 8 of this series, if you would like to know what I think about them.

--Irene Hamilton, big Zatoichi fan

#10 & #13 of series posting identical reviews, Amazon error, not reviewer error.......2005-11-18

For some reason, Amazon has posted identical reviews for both Vol. 10 and Vol. 13 of this series.

The previous reviewer has indicated that this is misleading, which is correct. However, it is not correct that the reviewers are doing the misleading, since all reviews posted for both Vol. 10 and Vol. 13 are showing up in both places, which is Amazon's error.

Vol. 13 - One of the Best of the Series, as Far as Unique Elements.......2005-07-03

*(This review was posted for Vol. 13, and is meant for Vol. 13, but is also showing up for Vol. 10, as several other reviewers have pointed out.)*

Like the other movies in the Zatoichi series, this story features strong female characters, exciting and well-staged swordplay, tasteful violence (no blood and gore), and our hero only killing when absolutely forced to. While there is nothing new to the basic storyline of this movie - Ichi saving townspeople and merchants from a band of evil men - there are many unique and surprising elements to this tale which set it apart from the others.

First, the ingenuity of Ichi's adversaries in using drums to hinder his hearing is somewhat surprising. Normally, his opponents are not quite that clever.

Also, the swordsmanship (skill and technique) is significantly raised to a much more intricate level when Ichi fights the samurai. This is a noticeable difference from the simplicity he usually employs against more the common/obscure swordsman he generally faces.

Another unexpected surprise is the amount of abuse Ichi is willing to take before acting to defend himself. He is bloodied and bruised when severely beaten; yet, he does not act, seemingly because he does not want to have to kill in front of a child, or risk provoking the evildoers into more extreme action against those he is trying to protect.

The addition of Ichi slipping and falling on the stairs at the end of the movie really showcases his vulnerability, reminding us that even heroes stumble.

One of the female characters, the wife of the innkeeper, demonstrates even more strength than the women in other films of this series: Though they beat and threaten her, she is able to stand up to her harassers.

Many other characters are given a great deal of depth, which allows us to have a better understanding of their motives, adding dimension and accentuating their flaws to make them interesting. For example, the scorn shown by the child (whose previous admiration and emulation bordered on reverence) when Ichi allows himself to be punched, kicked, and humiliated instead of killing his tormentors as he easily could. Another example is the prostitute's judgment of her love in calling him a drunk and her subsequent lapse into drunkenness after his death.

The silhouette scene, which includes fighting and drumming against a dusky sky, is tremendously beautiful.

As in other Ichi films, extremely creative and surprising swordplay is featured such as the tip of a lit candle balanced perfectly on the end of a sword to illuminate the faces of the "animal" bullies, slicing a hilt from its blade while the sword is still in the scabbard at his opponent's waist, taking out several bad guys while protecting the child in his arms, and deftly cutting the bonds of the innkeeper's wife without causing her injury.

Finally, the sadness in our hero's face at the number of people he is forced to kill in this movie is extremely exquisite and touching, and seems to be more intense than similar emotions he expresses in other adventures. We feel Ichi's pain very deeply from what he is forced to do at this stage in his journey, particularly when he kills the samurai.

Though there is sadness in this story, it is one of the most interesting, surprising, and beautifully filmed movies of the Zatoichi series.

J.H. Sweet, author of The Fairy Chronicles, and Zatoichi fan.

Japanese cinema at its very best.......2002-05-11

With the slew of well known asian films from the likes of Kurosawa, Tsui Hark, ect. it is easy to overlook these precious gems known as the Zatoichi series. Truly incredible, Shintaro Katsu owns this role and plays the part so damned well you'd swear he must have walked around every day of his life carrying a cane sword and pretending to be blind. The swordplay scenes are some of the greatest I have ever witnessed and I've seen it all. They are so realistic and provide a nice counterpoint to the frantic flying wirework approach of the chinese. If you are a fan of Japanese cinema you owe it to yourself to see these films. I guarantee you will be utterly captivated from start to finish.

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