Zatoichi Goes to the Fire Festival

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Christopher B Upon trying to return home for some peace and relaxation, Ichi discovers that the town has changed significantly in the three years he has been gone. This is the 21st film and offers some of the best swordplay yet, by Katsu of course but also Tatsuya Nakadai who delivers an impressive performance and who's swordplay is stellar. You can really tell from his finesse and confidence that he has much skill in real life as his many roles in various samurai films can attest to. The film itself is very much darker than the others and while still featuring some truly stunning battle scenes, really showcases a darker theme and how power and money can corrupt just about anyone. Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 11/07/22 Full Review Audience Member Zatoichi comes across a fellow blind gangster, but who has been nicknamed the Dark Imperial Lord and Boss of Bosses. The Dark Lord is on control of eight heads of gangster territories, and decides that Zatoichi must die because the plot demands it. What follows is a rather standard entry, with a woman trying to poison Ichi but ultimately failing to do so. When Ichi goes to gamble for her life, he falls into a wily fire based trap and defeats his enemies as usual. The action and story are not up to par this time, despite the amount of screen time the villains get. They simply don't have good motivation to kill Zatoichi, and the other samurai with a grudge has a rather unspectacular duel at the end as well. Zatoichi Goes to the Fire Festival simply burns out. Rated 2.5/5 Stars •  Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 02/05/23 Full Review Audience Member Another breakthrough in the Zatoichi franchise. Perhaps one of the most intruiging one. The story is completely out of the usual, Zatoichi gets to battle the head honcho of the yakuza. And yes he's blind. The villains also used different and interesting plans to kill Zatoichi this time. Even the villain samurai he battled is a tough one comparing to the previous bozos. Finally get to see Zatoichi on his knees, always thought he was indestructable. LOL. Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/13/23 Full Review Audience Member Several well done bits just don't add up to a full story. As a first, there is an opening narrator to set this up as a film rooted in historical fact. Then a series of vignettes showing several fun moments for this traveling Zato. As elements of the actual story are woven in, I never really get sold on this plot. Not that it's bad (each scene is beautifully composed & shot!), but there's no rhythm or continuity - I'm never quite drawn in. That bloody scene midway through the film with the funky music? That played out more like Dozier's 1960's take on Batman and the Green Hornet. I suspect that the film is too short for the content; a two hour film or even a 2 part film would have allowed each scene to flow and gently add layers to the plot's development. Watch for several wonderful moments like blind dice, co-ed bathhouse, consort sale, meeting another competent blind-man, a nod to homosexuals being people too, and a whirlwind romance. A story was told; but the story wasn't allowed to breathe so as to tell it's own tale of myth and morality. In fact, when Ichi walks off at the end - he does so after breaking a fragile heart with cruel words worthy of a Boss. Watch for yourself and decide if this is a true Zatoichi film or an aberration. Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 01/25/23 Full Review Audience Member Mediocre installment of the series--but, still, not without its remarkable scenes. Tatsuya Nakadai is unfortunately wasted here. Peter, however, still continues to bizarrely captivate me. Rated 2/5 Stars •  Rated 2 out of 5 stars 01/21/23 Full Review Audience Member 21ème film sur Zatoichi et ultime épisode réalisé par Kenji Mitsumi considéré comme le meilleur réalisateur récurent de la série. Il est étonnant de voir à quel point le réalisateur continue a fourmiller d'idées de mise en scène malgré le rythme des tournages. Même dans son sixième épisode pour la franchise, certaines séquences relèvent presque du cinéma expérimental, il ose encore s'essayer à des effets (même si parfois ça ne marche pas). Est-ce à l'age d'or du cinéma érotique japonais des années 70 que nous devons cette remanescence ormonale dans cet épisode ? Sûrement. C'est d'ailleurs le premier épisode à avoir été interdit aux moins de 12 ans (et pas pour sa violence assurement). Enfin il faut signaler la musique surprenante et incroyablement moderne pour l'époque signé par un compositeur que l'on commence à peine à découvrir de nos jours en occident: Isao Tomita. Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/31/23 Full Review Read all reviews

Zatoichi Goes to the Fire Festival

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