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Ichi

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78% Tomatometer 9 Reviews 59% Popcornmeter 500+ Ratings
A blind shamisen player battles yakuza and other villains with her exceptional sword skills.

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Ichi

Critics Reviews

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Derek Malcolm London Evening Standard 07/10/2009
3/5
Fumihiko Sori's attempt to make an original addition to the Zatoichi martial arts franchise never reaches the virtuosity of Takeshi Kitano's original. Needless to say, the fight scenes are better than the dialogue. Go to Full Review David Jenkins Time Out 07/10/2009
2/5
With its hokey, flashback-heavy plotting, unadventurous camera use and a clutch of cloyingly earnest performances, it comes across like an irony-free, mid-season episode of 'Xena: Warrior Princess'. Go to Full Review Kevin Maher The Times (UK) 07/10/2009
2/5
The villains are from the broad "har-de-har" school of banditry, the action is mostly fudged, and the resolution achingly obvious. Go to Full Review Felix Vasquez Jr. Cinema Crazed 08/22/2012
Haruka Ayase gives a very memorable performance and she's truly steals every scene she inhabits. Go to Full Review Mark Pollard Kung Fu Cinema 02/04/2010
3/5
Catherine Bray Film4 07/10/2009
3/5
Ultimately a romp, albeit one with some entertaining quirks and a strange melancholy undertow, we shouldn't make overly high-falutin' claims for Ichi, but fans of balletic fight scenes should get a kick out of some good-looking sequences. Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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01/06/2019 It's strange to flip genders here only to saddle the new girl with not one but TWO useless sidekicks... It seems to go against the fundamentals of what made this character tick. And it was all a little too melancholy with the score and flashbacks. Overall though it was interesting to see a female in the role and the different dynamics she'd have to deal with, and there was some great action. See more harri k 02/03/2018 Ichi has many of the usual tropes and clichés of the genre but it succeeds in dodging the banal and the melodramatic. The blind katana hero is a rather minimalist main character, but she is likable enough and aptly supported by the timid swordsman Toma and the cute kid. Zatoichi's relation to the protagonist works well as background narrative. The film acknowledges the burden of violence and portrays the effects of violent events in people's lives, though it could go further in exploring the issue. See more 03/05/2015 Somewhat entertaining although a bit inconsistent in tone and intent. See more 10/26/2014 A competent, but not excellent retelling of the legend of the blind samurai, with a twist, it's a woman now. See more 07/13/2014 Quirky traditional samurai film with some very practicable plot points. See more 06/22/2014 Ichi did "nothing" actually. The grand enemy is killed very easily. OMG. See more Read all reviews
Ichi

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Cast & Crew

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Fumihiko Sori

Director

Haruka Ayase

Ichi

Shido Nakamura

Banki

Yôsuke Kubozuka

Toraji Shirakawa

Takao Ohsawa

Toma Fujihira

Kazuma Chiba

Actor

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Ichi

Ichi (2008) Ichi (2008) Ichi (2008) View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis A blind shamisen player battles yakuza and other villains with her exceptional sword skills.
Director
Fumihiko Sori
Producer
Toshiaki Nakazawa
Screenwriter
Kan Shimozawa
Rating
R (Brief Sexuality|Bloody Violence)
Genre
Action
Original Language
Japanese
Release Date (Streaming)
Jul 1, 2016
Runtime
2h 0m
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