(movie review)This film came out in 2003, and I remember at the time there was a lot of excitement in my office among my Japanese co-workers (particularly the slightly older co-workers) about this film.
One of them explained it to me, "It's about a man the eyes can't see." Because of her poor English, I thought this was an invisible man type story, but it turns out it's a film about a blind Samurai.
And, in fact, a visit over to wikipedia shows that this film actually a re-make of a 1962 Japanese film (actually a whole series of films beginning in 1962), which explains why my older co-workers were so excited about this new film coming out.
The character of Zaitoichi is in many ways similar to the comic book character Daredevil, although it predates Daredevil. A blind man whose other senses have become so finely attuned that he can perform incredible feats of athletics and swordsmanship all without being able to see a thing. (If you reference the wikipedia article, they have a list of other fictional blind heroes with superhuman fighting skills. It's interesting how this rather bizarre idea is popular across cultural barriers).
The new remake film is directed by and staring Beat Takeshi. My siblings inform me that in recent years reruns of the old Takeshi show "Takeshi's Castle" have become very popular on cable TV in the US, but in addition to being in silly gameshows, Beat Takeshi has starred and directed in several Japanese films over the years.
This film might be a bit of a vanity project on his part, because he cast himself in the title role, but he plays the part perfectly. I've never seen the original, so I can't compare actors. But I really liked how Beat Takeshi played Zatoichi as a self-effacing humble blind old man. In contrast to the usual macho action heroes, he's the kind of guy you would usually just ignore when you walk into a room. You have no idea he's even dangerous until he springs into action.
The plot of this movie is pretty interesting as well. To be honest, when I first heard the idea of a blind Samurai, I thought that would be a pretty thin premise to string out a 2 hour movie on. But fortunately there are several different plot threads going in this film. When the film opens, we are introduced in the first few minutes not only to the Zatoichi, but also to a ronin Samurai who is seeking employment as a body guard to get money for medicine for his sick lover. And a pair of murderous geisha's who are trying to get revenge on their murdered parents. All of these plots come together as the film progresses.
As interesting as the film is, my short American attention span comes into play once again. I usually finish a Japanese film thinking it went on for just a beat or two too long, and this one was no exception. In my American opinion, it could have easily lost about 15 minutes of fat in the editing room, but I think this is just a cultural difference.
Beat Takeshi is famous for his offbeat sense of humor, and much of this film is played for comedy. And played pretty well. I'm not usually a big fan of Japanese humor, but I thought this film was pretty funny. And there's even a great, if slightly bizarre, tap dancing sequence at the end in which most of the cast takes part.
Mixed in with the hilarity, there's also a bit of pathos in the film as well. It's not unusual for a Japanese film to mix tragedy and comedy, although it does grate on my Western sensibilities a bit.
And at certain points it can be a very violent film too. Samurai sword battles, blood spurting, limbs going flying, people getting cut in half, et cetera.
After reading books like "Shinsengumi by Romulus Hillsborough" I do understand the realism of this a bit more. Hillsborough describes how it was not unusual for fingers and hands to go flying off during a Samurai sword fight, and how after a battle the streets were filled with body parts.
However the funny expressions people have on their faces as they get hacked apart or sliced open make me wonder if some of this isn't being played as black comedy, which I find somewhat less tasteful. I mentioned the same complaint in "Sukiyaki Western: Django". It is possible that I'm misinterpreting another style of acting I guess.
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Zatoichi: Movie Review (Scripted)
When I was a kid, my dad loved watching Zatoichi (in Hawaii there were some Japanese programs with subtitles on TV). I was too young to understand the details of what was going on, but the idea of a blind swordsman fascinated me. I'll have to check out the movie sometime!
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