Film Review<\/p>\n
ZATOICHI<\/strong><\/p>\n Reviewed by Lyle Sylvander (Yokohama-shi, 2001-02) (Summer 2004 Issue)<\/span><\/p>\n Takashi Kitano<\/strong> has had a long and varied career as an entertainer in Japan.\u00a0 He burst onto the scene in the 1970\u2019s as one-half of the comedy duo The Beat Brothers and then extended the range of his acting by taking on more dramatic roles.\u00a0 While filming the Yakuza thriller Violent Cop<\/em>, the director fell ill and Takano took over the directorial reins.\u00a0 The rest is, as they say, history.\u00a0\u00a0 Takano churned out a steady stream of action films and then achieved worldwide recognition with his masterwork Hana-bi <\/em>(Fireworks<\/em>) in 1997.\u00a0 When that film won the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival, Kitano was recognized an artistically mature filmmaker.\u00a0 Hana-bi<\/em>\u2019s melancholic violence and contemplative pacing transcended the limits of the commercial action film and provided a unique visceral experience.\u00a0\u00a0 Since that auspicious breakthrough, however, Kitano\u2019s output has been somewhat disappointing.\u00a0 Kikujiro <\/em>(1999) and Brother <\/em>(2000) more or less repeated the formulaic storytelling devices of their genres (the \u201clittle kid\u201d and Yakuza action film respectively).\u00a0 2002\u2019s Dolls was a beautifully shot but emotionally distant experiment that pleased neither critics nor audiences and flopped at the box office.<\/p>\n When it was announced that Kitano would write, direct, and star in a new rendition of the classic series of films Zatoichi<\/em>, many accused him of selling out.\u00a0 The original series of Zatoichi <\/em>films (26 in all) starred Shintaru Katsu<\/strong>, who essentially owned the role of the blind samurai and became an iconic figure in Japan.\u00a0 It seemed that reviving the series with Kitano was little more than a marketing gimmick.\u00a0 Fortunately, Kitano has played against expectations and delivered his best film in years.\u00a0 Far from being predictable, Kitano reinvents Zatoichi and delivers an immensely entertaining film.<\/p>\n The basic plot follows that of the standard jidai-geki <\/em>(period film) as Zatoichi stumbles into a rural town run by mobsters.\u00a0 Zatoichi teams up with a pair of sisters, one of whom is a man in disguise, who are seeking revenge for the murder of their parents.\u00a0 Together, they fight the minions of the villainous Ginzo (played by Ittoku Kishibe<\/strong>).\u00a0 Another wandering samurai, named Hattori (Tadanobu Asano<\/strong>), is hired as a mercenary by Ginzo and he and Zatoichi\u00a0 meet in the film\u2019s climax and final showdown.<\/p>\n Zatoichi is the first jidai-geki<\/em> for Kitano and he not only uses its conventions well but plays against them.\u00a0 This is apparent in the film\u2019s opening, where a gang of thugs mistake the blind swordsman for an easy target and Zatoichi makes mince meat out of them.\u00a0 The sequence is comically choreographed with the robbers accidentally stabbing and slicing each other.\u00a0 One man\u2019s sword flies out of his hands and into the body of one of his comrades.\u00a0 The standard blood squirting effect is rendered by CGI animation and the semi-cartoonish effect reveals that Kitano is not taking the violence seriously.\u00a0 In fact, the film has many slapstick moments and Zatoichi even sports a ridiculously anachronistic bleached blond hairdo.\u00a0 Kitano\u2019s serious side is reserved for a few flashbacks that provide backstory for the supporting characters \u2013 like that of the sibling seeking vengeance.\u00a0\u00a0 Such a device allows the audience to empathize with the characters while enjoying the comic goings-on.<\/p>\n Overall, Kitano uses moving cameras and quick cuts to convey a sense of spontaneity and continuous motion.\u00a0 The visuals are nicely complemented by a rhythmic soundtrack consisting of rain drops, metallic farming tools and clashing swords.\u00a0 This hypnotic rhythm culminates in a ten minute dance sequence that has to be seen to be believed (it alone is worth the price of admission).\u00a0 As in Akira Kurosawa<\/strong>\u2019s\u00a0 Seven Samurai<\/em>, the peasants celebrate the defeat of the warmongers at the end of the film.\u00a0 What begins as a traditional takatsuki<\/em> dance with wooden clogs and taiko drummers evolves into a modern dance spectacle stylistically situated between Busby Berkley<\/strong> and the stage show Stomp<\/strong>.<\/p>\n Visually in a class by itself, the final number is the ultimate act of subversion: only Takeshi Kitano has the audacity and courage to end a samurai film with a musical number.\u00a0 By doing so, he has reinvented himself once more and even the most hardened cynic would be delighted with his Zatoichi: The Blind Swordsman<\/em>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Film Review ZATOICHI Reviewed by Lyle Sylvander (Yokohama-shi, 2001-02) (Summer 2004 Issue) Takashi Kitano has had a long and varied career as an entertainer in Japan.\u00a0 He burst onto the scene in the 1970\u2019s as one-half of the comedy duo The Beat Brothers and then extended the range of his acting by taking on more 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