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4 out of 4 people found the following comment useful :-
Zatoichi gets another baby and another excellent film, 24 December 2006
9/10
Author: Chung Mo from NYC

Only two more films before the end of a 25 entry series. You would think that after 11 years the final films would be tired and derivative but this film belies that assumption. While reusing some elements from previous films, the baby for example, this film is an excellent combination of humor, drama and action with the usual Zatoichi world view. It should be remembered that at the time these films would rarely get shown again so the film makers felt comfortable reusing themes. Soon after this Zatoichi moved to television where they really reused the stories and themes from the movies.

Zatoichi chances upon a pregnant woman who unknown to him has just been attacked and had her gold stolen. She goes into labor and Zatoichi helps deliver the child but the woman dies from her wound. Zatoichi goes to bring the child to his father and of course finds himself in the middle of a town being invaded by yakuza. Zatoichi is compelled to help the child's family and control the ruthless yakuza.

There's nothing unusual about the plot, it's the details that make this film so wonderful. The characters are all colorful and interesting. There an elderly constable and his good-for- nothing son, a group of wacky festival performers, a mysterious child who pelts Zatoichi with rocks, the required master swordsman to challenge Zatoichi and the sleazy yakuza. The film is well paced, but the first action is not until 30 minutes into the film. However it's well worth waiting for. Unlike the previous film that had Zatoichi caring for an infant (which is a very good film), he doesn't get attached to this one and it's pretty much out of the plot half way thru.

Recommended for all Zatoichi fans, newcomers might want to try an earlier film first.

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3 out of 3 people found the following comment useful :-
Shintaro Katsu has no rival in swordplay, plus he's funny as hell, 24 April 2006
9/10
Author: leesigmon from Atlanta, GA, USA

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

Katsu's quick-draw swordsmanship is in olympic form as per usual in Zatoichi films. But I found an exceptional amount of humor in this installment, namely from the stalking orphan who continually nails Ichi in the gourd with rocks because he mistakenly believes Ichi murdered his mother. Ichi's tender-hearted nature is in full display as he suckles a newborn and refuses to duel the orphan's father knowing what the inevitable conclusion would be. Also, the preview of comedy acts that are performed for the magistrate to qualify for entry into the festival are hilarious, most notably the monkey routine. One of my faves in my favorite samurai flick series...

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3 out of 3 people found the following comment useful :-
Firmly in the 70s, but still entertaining, 21 March 2005
7/10
Author: Tom (bighouseaz) from United States

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

This is the 23rd entry in the series and was filmed in 1972. The movie soundtrack sounds like something you would here in the American TV series Kojak. A haunting traditional Japanese song balances the mood out (thankfully).

Yes, Katsu's Zatoichi has been around for two decades at this point. Many of the familiar elements are in this entry as well. Zatoichi tries to reunite a child with its parent, but is mistakenly believed to be the child's murderer. There are some funny characters in the form of the festival entertainers. That same idiotic (in a funny way) husband and wife team show up again. Zatoichi does a good job trying to turn himself in to the honorable constable, but doesn't have much better luck here than elsewhere in the film.

The finale also feels new, in ways similar to the Lone Wolf and Cub series which made its debut the same year. There is a menacing bup, bup, bup, bup... bass sound as Zatoichi goes about cleaning up the town in his special way. Dissonant music adds a frightening edge to the bloody resolution of the film. The final dual introduces a twist to the ordinary. It's perhaps Zatoichi's kindest deed in the film.

Zatoichi cult members (myself included) will find enough to enjoy in this film All others should watch on TV or rent before buying!

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2 out of 3 people found the following comment useful :-
Among the best of the series., 2 September 2005
9/10
Author: Golgo-13 from The IMDb Horror Board!

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

Bloody good Zatoichi fun…this may very well be the best of the original 25 that I've seen! Zatoichi delivers a baby from a dying mother (and breastfeeds it too!), seeks out the father, and comes upon a town that is about to have a festival. When a gang moves in to collect their due from the performers (and force the baby's aunt into prostitution), Ichi springs into action to set things straight. The scene with Zatoichi slowly approaching the leader while on fire is just great. If you're a fan of Chambara Cinema, this one's definitely worth checking out.

Hired Killer: "You're the best swordsman I've ever met."

Zatoichi: "Nah…all I do is go apesh*t."

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Pretty typical of the series, 5 June 2009
7/10
Author: planktonrules from Bradenton, Florida

Like an earlier Zatoichi film, "Zatôichi kesshô-tabi", this one starts with a dying woman and a baby that Zatoichi is to take to its father. Following the death of the mother, the credits roll and a singer who perhaps is well-liked in Japan begins singing--and the high nasal voice was really, really annoying. Perhaps it's just my Western sensibilities, but the song was tough to take. I think the singing is from Japanese Noh (a type of play)--but I am far from knowledgeable about those sort of things.

Once Ichi gets the baby to the proper town, he finds the child's aunt and gives it to her. Oddly, however, all along the route there a little boy has been following Zatoichi pelting him with rocks. When the father eventually comes to town and thanks the blind man for bringing the baby, the welcome is very short-lived. It seems that the brat who has been throwing stones at Zatoichi is the man's son--and he mistakenly thinks that Ichi killed his mother and stole her money (this WAS done but by a thief--not Ichi). However, when the father confronts Ichi, the blind man is not angry but agrees to help the family get the money--otherwise the aunt will be forced by the local boss into prostitution.

This leads to the very, very typical confrontation with the local strongman--a guy who naturally at first has his men attack Ichi, then pretends to be friends and then, ultimately, has an all-out battle with the blind man. In the final battle, the death tally is appropriately high and there are no huge surprises. However, the local constable was an interesting character and did give the film a few surprises. Otherwise, it's all very typical and familiar. Nothing extraordinary but another formulaic Zatoichi film.

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0 out of 1 people found the following comment useful :-
None Better., 12 December 2008
10/10
Author: LivingDog from NYC, NY

Anyone giving Shintaru Katsu's Zatoichi (the original) anything less than 10 stars is ... well, let's just say you have to be a very special person to not like this: 1) incredible amount, 2) of consistent, 3) high-quality, 4) fast paced, 5) action packed, 6) character filled, 7) solid plot line entertainment.

You will not get better than this ever again. I own no DVDs but this one (the Collector's edition) I may buy.

I was a scifi fan, but since Hollywood doesn't make good scifi's anymore {a real scifi is the original The Thing, and Forbidden Planet, and The Day the Earth Stood Still. Today they make them all horror pictures (Alien) or feely-touchy soap operas (any Star Trek other than TOS)} that I had to look for something else. Japanese, note Japanese, samurai movies are just so solidly based. Korisawa is the top of the Japanese directors, but Zatoichi is the best of the best. BTW, I use to think that Korisawa's The Seven Samurai was the best samurai movie ever, but I have to finally admit, Zatoichi is better.

10+/10.

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