Zatoichi (DVD)

...the story and character of Zatoichi is a much loved Japanese legend and has a similar folklore standing to our Robin Hood in England. It is also a popular series of novels by the late Kan Shimozawa, which have been the basis for a steady amount of “Zatoichi” films from 1962 to the present day. So to make a remake of said beloved character must exceed the expectations of the Japanese populace not to mention the highly difficult foreign markets. Not ...
...starring role as well, as Zatoichi himself, a gamble perhaps or even a brief lapse in self judgement but one thing is clear, Kintano triumphs in spades. We open brilliantly with Zatoichi (Kintano) sitting out on a log by the roadside, sunning his face when a group of mercenary/assassins come over the hill. After taking care of business (I’ll leave that to your imagination), Zatoichi continues on his road and ends up in a small town that is being ... more

Hmm, another Samurai film? Damn right and who better to make a samurai film than foreign, cult master “Beat” Takeshi Kintano. You may remember Kitano from eighties, foreign classic “Violent Cop”, frequently hailed as his best, or is it? Kitano’s latest writing/directing effort comes in the form of “Zatoichi” the sixties Japanese TV show about a wandering blind swordsman in 19th Century Japan. Not to mention the story and character of Zatoichi is a much loved Japanese legend and has a similar folklore standing to our Robin Hood in England. It is also a popular series of novels by the late Kan Shimozawa, which have been the basis for a steady amount of “Zatoichi” films from 1962 to the present day. So to make a remake of said beloved character must exceed the expectations of the Japanese populace not to mention the highly difficult foreign markets. Not much pressure then…

For the purposes of Kintano’s reworking, he has decided not only to direct and write the screenplay but to place himself in the starring role as well, as Zatoichi himself, a gamble perhaps or even a brief lapse in self judgement but one thing is clear, Kintano triumphs in spades. We open brilliantly with Zatoichi (Kintano) sitting out on a log by the roadside, sunning his face when a group of mercenary/assassins come over the hill. After taking care of business (I’ll leave that to your imagination), Zatoichi continues on his road and ends up in a small town that is being torn apart by sinister gangs. Meanwhile we have a Ronin (Tabanobu Asano) who also enters town with his wife. With his wife being ill, the Ronin; Hattori Genosuke must find work to pay for medicine. He gets a job working as a bodyguard for one of the local gang bosses.

As Zatoichi befriends simple farm woman Aunt O-Ume (Michiyo Ookusu) and her down on his lucky, gambling nephew, Zatoichi also befriends two ‘Geisha’ (Yuuko Daike & Daigoro Tachibana) who have their own personal vendetta. The individual stories of not just Zatoichi but the nearby characters whom are affected as well pan out without delay as Kitano uses an aggressive yet sublime directing style that begs your attention. With performances to die for, especially from leads Takeshi Kitano (“Violent Cop”) and Tabanobu Asano (“Ichi The Killer”) both putting in amazing turns as the blind masseur and silent ronin respectively.

Supporting performances are also superb no matter how small and seemingly unimportant. From the old man who helps out in the tavern to the fat kid who lives next door who dreams of being a true samurai, every performance is unforgettable. It is however possible fair to say that the two Geisha, one dances while the other plays her instrument (a sitar I think) are the pair who shine out the most in Beat Takeshi’s visually stunning film. Michiyo Ookusu (an actress who’s no stranger to the legend of Zatoichi as she’s appeared in “Zatoichi’s Pilgrimage” back in 1968”) puts in a fine performance as well rounding off a superb cast of virtual no bodies to western audiences.

It is fair to say that “Zatoichi” runs with a kind of action that could easily make you urinate yourself, from the spectacular beginning to its exciting end. The film doesn’t pause for breath as it beautifully crafts jaw dropping set pieces amongst devastatingly simple and poignant subplots. Like other recent huge Asian movie event “Hero”, “Zatoichi” can be accused of possessing a stylised edge but the difference between these films is that Kitano’s offering has a raw human element at its centre making it more emotionally accessible to the general public. Although every single frame from “Hero” could easily hang on your wall, it is a story set in a time that not many of us are familiar with. The founding of China is a dark chapter of history that is rarely plagiarised by Hollywood and discovery channel specials. “Zatoichi” is set in a more familiar 19th Century, Samurai country (before Tom Cruise came along) and deals with more relevant issues to a more modern society, vengeance, crime syndicates and intimidation are a few of the themes as well as honour.

Director/Writer/Actor Takeshi Kitano paces the story expertly never leaving you bored, in fact, he doesn’t give you the chance providing an unusual but well delivered pairing of extreme violence and light hearted, slap-stick relief. This reminds me of a time where films were simple, films that didn’t have to constantly rely on slick scripts, sharp (and hollow) direction and huge name Hollywood talent in order for it to get seen. “Zatoichi’s” selling point is its modern, imaginative approach to an old fashioned fable, using digital camera’s, computer generated blood and having a very omnipresent musical theme to the proceedings. The musical element to the film is perhaps the most original and indeed the most impressive. From four people ploughing a muddy field to a specific rhythm to a whole team of people making music as they build a house by using tools and cutting wood to a melody. It may not sound like much at the moment but when you watch it unfold in front of you, you think to yourself: wow, that’s pretty impressive stuff. The same standard stays with the film throughout, with Kitano displaying his talent as a storyteller as well as his eye for brilliant choreographed action sequences to which his films are famous.

When the film is violent, it is very violent, with swift swordplay being the main cause of death. A lot of blood is spilt but not quite in the same way as we saw in Quentin Tarantino’s “Kill Bill” where it was almost done like the blood is done in Manga Japanimation/comics: exaggerated. In “Zatoichi”, although the blood is… well a lot, there is a certain air of realism to the whole concept making the action more down to earth but still stylised. A disadvantage for such scenes is the blood not looking entirely real due to its digital rendering. Kitano intended that the blood should look like flowers blooming across the screen (apparently anyway), whether or not this works is probably up to viewers individually rather than me telling you what’s what. I think it’s great that people have different opinions on what works and doesn’t work with films. So in short, although stylised in its execution and ultimate presentation and appearance, the violence portrays a pinch of grit, removing us from the realms of unnecessary slickness and substance sabotage. The film also runs with the kind of action that slaps a huge smile on your face of approval making “Zatoichi” one of the most thrilling foreign works to be seen for a while over here in the west.

The second of the film’s style paring is that of moments of light-hearted comic relief usually straight after a scene of copious blood, displaying a rapid change of mood and genre that makes for an intriguing and arguably risking contrast. But it does pay off. Kitano’s film keeps stressing to you that this is all a bit of fun… and it is, to have a light hearted bit of slapstick to make you shrug off a previous scene of intense violence is welcoming indeed and doesn’t leave any stale cinematic aftertaste that other ‘violent for the sake of violent’ films may do. Kitano includes a fair mix of slapstick and subtle humour to balance his scenes of blood and brutality, with raw human feelings and convincing characters as a pivot. Thus; dark undertones and moods are mixed with Kitano’s quirky light comedic relief. All these ingredients are then complimented and boosted with an impressive musical score and sometimes… no score at all. Silence is more powerful than some filmmakers think and sometimes a close up on a character’s face is all you need to tell how he’s feeling.

The score (composed by Keiichi Suzuki) runs with high tension, using the traditional Asian instruments to good effect with elements of poignancy, sympathy and mischief without overuse. Costumes fit and compliment the period well with Zatoichi’s probably being the best using each of the primary colours, blue for his cloak, red for his cane and yellow for his erm… hair. It’s nice to see a film that has been well thought out and executed but not so nice for not to be as recognised as it should. Takeshi Kitano’s screenplay is again solid, reminding once more of the old days of simple, pleasing films. Kitano’s script is delightful yet possess equal amounts of sorrow, which is brilliantly displayed within the film’s subtitles. Yes the filmed is subtitled, unless you’re fluent in Japanese of course. The next time I read someone saying that subtitles are a disadvantage, I might scream (in a manly fashion, I might add). Would you prefer some Jet Li esque dubbing, which not only cuts corners in its translation to fit the footage but makes everyone sound like a pervert, ruining whatever acting quality that was in the original performance?

BOTTOM LINE
“Zatoichi” is a swift, dangerous, intuitive, beautiful, wondrous and violent film with some breath taking cinematography mixing stylised portrayals of life with raw emotions and the power of ‘Beat’ Takeshi Kitano’s unique storytelling. Although shockingly violent in places, its balance of culturally universal ‘light moments’ and its touching and intriguing sub-plots make this immensely enjoyable viewing and one of Kitano’s best to date. Highly recommended stuff but not really a film for the occasional cinema-goer who enjoys the more ‘popcorn’ variety of film. By all means if you see it on the shelf somewhere, give it a chance, it may be something you’ll really get into. There is also a traditional/modern tap dance finale for what seems to be for the hell of it, but hey it’s all good fun…

“Fantastic… breathtaking and hugely enjoyable” – Jonathan Ross: Film 2004

“Quite, quite brilliant” – Sunday Times

“Kill Bill? Zatoichi would wipe the floor with him!” – Empire

CERTIFICATE : 18
TIME APPROX : 111 minutes

CAUTION:
Frequent, strong, stylised blood violence

IF YOU LIKE THIS TRY:
Kill Bill Volume 1 – Quentin Tarantino’s revenge epic boasts some exceptionally slick swordplay and almost cartoon style violence, exciting stuff.

Kitano’s most enjoyable, should be seen by all.

<DarkMark

 

...less