Zatoichi

R

Released Jul 23, 2004

1h 55m

Action

Adventure

List

87%

126 Reviews

Tomatometer

88%

25,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

Blind traveler Zatoichi (Beat Takeshi) is a master swordsman and a masseur with a fondness for gambling on dice games. When he arrives in a village torn apart by warring gangs, he sets out to protect the townspeople. He is also enlisted to help two sibling geisha, Okinu (Yûko Daike) and Osei (Daigorô Tachibana), avenge the murder of their parents, who were slaughtered in a massacre. Zatoichi must fight his way through numerous enemies before finally clashing with a heartless crime boss.

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Critics Consensus

Colorful, rich with action and wonderfully choreographed, Takeshi Kitano takes on the classic samurai character with his own brand of cinematic flair.

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Torbtastic T

A decent enough take on Zatoichi, Takeshi offers a very different take on Katsu' Ichi, but in a way I prefer that over trying to copy a character so entrenched in another actor... If you are new to Zatoichi, this is an easily accessible version of the character, but Shintaro Katsu's original films are on a whole, vastly superior.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

09/06/22

Full Review

Audience Member

A samurai movie should not have CGI, or, in this case, unconvincing CGI. Classic or vintage special effects would have made this movie better. Bad special effects are a distraction.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

02/17/23

Full Review

justin t

There was lots of CGI blood flying around, would have preferred real fake blood. The story was confusing but the bits of it that I understood were really good and interesting. The ending was full of stuff happening. For all of the blood there wasn't much violence like people heads being ripped apart and the like. Worth watching and enjoyable fantasy film full of culture, that needs concentration. I love the musical montage bits and they actually fit into the story and the world. Fantastic film with brilliant characters and wonderful musical interludes... also blood!

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

william d

The story is a typical "samurai comes to town, fights bad guys and saves villagers." The gimmick here is the samurai is blind. That's not enough to salvage the rambling plot or excuse the incredibly bad special effects, particularly the CGI blood splatters.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

allen m

If you enjoy Japanese 'westerns' in the least you will want to see this movie.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

s r

A bizarre one to say the least. It was almost good, but then it just couldn't decide what kind of film it was. The whole drum tap dance scene at the end just threw me for a loop. Coming back to the main story, it had a good premise and development, but then it ended hollowly, almost like a TV movie. The CGI swords and gore was comical. It was on paramount and I'm not sure why the rating were so high.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

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Takeshi Kitano

Director

Takeshi Kitano

Zatôichi

Tadanobu Asano

Gennosuke Hattori

Michiyo Ohkusu

Aunt Oume

Yui Natsukawa

O-Shino

Yûko Daike

Geisha Okinu Naruto

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Antonia Quirke

London Evening Standard

This film is a shebang, a full-scale show, complete with everything you would happily pay to see: costumes, tattoos, scratchy folk music, gambling in saki dens. You will eat it up.

Dec 20, 2017

Full Review

Christy Lemire

Associated Press

The Blind Swordsman: Zatoichi begins life as a straight-up samurai movie, evolves into a slapstick comedy and ends as a rousing, tap-dancing musical.

May 27, 2011

Full Review

Nell Minow

Common Sense Media

This non-traditional samurai movie isn't for kids.

Rated: 3/5

Dec 28, 2010

Full Review

Bryant Frazer

Bryant Frazer's Deep Focus

A gorgeous and evocative piece of entertainment that takes a deliberately playful approach to its genre.

Rated: B+

Aug 13, 2020

Full Review

Dorothy Woodend

The Tyee (British Columbia)

If you're looking for a real hero you could really do no better than Takeshi Kitano's blind masseur, Zatoichi.

Aug 24, 2017

Full Review

Ryan Cracknell

Movie Views

Violent and bloody, carefully choreographed and filled with dry humor, Takeshi Kitano's modern take on the classic Japanese character is a unique vision that's told with confidence.

Sep 27, 2009

Full Review

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Synopsis

Blind traveler Zatoichi (Beat Takeshi) is a master swordsman and a masseur with a fondness for gambling on dice games. When he arrives in a village torn apart by warring gangs, he sets out to protect the townspeople. He is also enlisted to help two sibling geisha, Okinu (Yûko Daike) and Osei (Daigorô Tachibana), avenge the murder of their parents, who were slaughtered in a massacre. Zatoichi must fight his way through numerous enemies before finally clashing with a heartless crime boss.

Director: Takeshi Kitano
Screenwriter: Kitano Takeshi
Distributor: Miramax Films
Production Co: Bandai Visual Co. Ltd., Asahi National Broadcasting Company
Rating: R
Genre: Action, Adventure
Original Language: Japanese
Release Date (Theaters): Jul 23, 2004, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Oct 8, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $853.7K
Runtime: 1h 55m
Sound Mix: Surround

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