Zatoichi: The Golden Years

This is the third of a five part review of all the movies contained in the Zatoichi Box Set from Criterion. You can read part two here: Zatoichi: Formula and Fighting.

12-17 The Golden Years

Ah, the Zatoichi “middle period.” These six movies represent the best of the Zatoichi series. While the tried and tested formula elements remained, there was an emphasis on storytelling, unique themes, and character development that led to a real emotional investment in the fate of the characters. The success of the series was leading to bigger budgets and the appearance of well known actors without making the presence of the guest star distracting. While Ichi's unique style of swordsmanship still received sufficient screen time, the violence was not an end in itself, and the scenes were largely sanitized of blood and gore. Overall, one could say these were the movies with the most heart, making them the ones that bear the most repeat viewings.

12: Zatoichi and the Chess Expert ***

Whereas Zatoichi and the Doomed Man (#11) suffers from a first act that is let down by the following two, this one features a weak first act that is redeemed by the final two. There is nothing wrong with the opening scene on a boat where Zatoichi demonstrates his gambling prowess and forms somewhat of a friendship with the ronin chess expert of the title (Mikio Narita is particularly good at playing a character with a mix of magnetic and repellent personality traits). After they disembark though, we are treated to some slapstick brawling and an unlikely coincidence designed to give Zatoichi an obligation to a mother seeking life saving medicine for her child. As these four unlikely travelling companions set out on the road together, the story gets really interesting, taking on the atmosphere of a murder mystery that might attract fans of the genre to this particular movie even if the others aren’t to their taste. Throw in a brother and sister on a revenge quest and you have all you need for an entertaining viewing.

13: Zatoichi's Vengeance *****

I have seen this movie too many times to count, so its impact has diminished somewhat over the years. Still, I regard it as the best of the bunch for the way it turns a critical eye on depictions of violence itself. Jun Hamamura (The Burmese Harp) serves as the moral centre of the movie, playing a blind biwa player who forces Zatoichi to examine his conscience, particularly in relation to the influence his swordsmanship has on impressionable young minds. Ultimately Hamamura absolves Zatoichi by basically saying, "there is a time to fight, and a time not to fight," but not before the viewer is forced to ponder exposing children to violent entertainments such as the Zatoichi movies themselves, even if sword fighting is merely a convenient way to resolve a series of conflicts in 90 minutes or less.

The moral questions aside, the performances of every main actor also elevate this movie. Aside from Hamamura and Katsu, Shigeru Amachi is effective as a conflicted ronin who reluctantly agrees to kill Zatoichi because he needs the money to free his wife from a brothel. Mayumi Ogawa is even better as the world weary object of his affection who sacrifices herself to free another woman who still has hope for her future. Despite the five star rating, the movie is not perfect by any means. One could argue that the final conflict with the yakuza could have benefitted from cutting a gross booger scene, and the lighting of an otherwise effective outdoor fight on a bridge and by the river could have been better, but it is a credit to the overall quality of the film that it transcends nitpicking. If one is uninterested in watching the series in order, this is a great place to start for the way it walks the line between innocence and experience.

14: Zatoichi’s Pilgrimage ***

This entry in the Zatoichi series tantalizes with its scenic location shots done with creative camera angles on the island of Shikoku as our eponymous hero attempts a pilgrimage around the island without having to draw his sword. Unfortunately, Zatoichi’s prayers go unheeded as he finds himself delivering a mortal blow to an unknown attacker within minutes. This scene is followed by an absurd sequence in which a horse that does everything but talk leads Zatoichi to the home of the sister of the man he just killed. The movie turns for the better soon after as we learn that he is destined to save a village of ungrateful farmers who are only too willing to let him fight their battles against a bullying horse thief and his formidable gang. As great as it is to see the movie break from its ronin plus a yakuza gang formula, one can’t help but feel they missed a chance to make a better movie had they let the boss get the better of Zatoichi for a bit before he succeeded à la Yojimbo.

15: Zatoichi and the Cane Sword ***

The first time I saw this movie was probably on VHS and the transfer really didn’t do the movie justice, making it look like a low budget quickie. Fully restored, it looks like a quality entry in the series as we get to see Zatoichi spend a large portion of the movie without his sword at his fingertips as he goes “undercover” working as a masseuse at a high class inn to expose a government bigwig. The final act plays out in a rather familiar form, although there is some added interest regarding what will happen to Zatoichi’s damaged sword along with some light humour. All in all, it’s a solid entry in the franchise.

16: Zatoichi the Outlaw ****

This was the first film in the series produced by Shintaro Katsu’s own company and it is immediately apparent that he wanted to make a statement. The story has more depth than the typical Zatoichi entry and it features the first major guest star with an interesting performance by Rentaro Mikuni. Zatoichi meets a ronin early, but this one refuses to carry a sword, preferring to organize farmers and develop new techniques of crop production. The ronin seems to be a composite of well known Neo-Confucian philosophers Nakae Toju, Kumazawa Banzan, and Ando Shoeki, which gives the story of farmers’ exploitation by yakuza and samurai officials an added dimension.

The first act of the movie ends where most of the third acts do, with Zatoichi eliminating a corrupt yakuza gang. After he goes into hiding as a fugitive during an uneven second act, he learns that nature abhors a vacuum and is forced to come out of hiding to protect the farmers and the ronin once again. Unlike Zatoichi’s Pilgrimage, the farmers aren’t portrayed as a bunch of cowards happy to let Zatoichi fight their battles, but a braver group willing to help Zatoichi as far as they are able. Given the longer timeline of the movie, there is a rare opportunity to show character development for some of the people in Zatoichi’s orbit that gives added emotional weight when each one’s personal storyline is resolved.

It is also worth noting that the gore factor is way up in this film. In a series that generally featured bloodless bloodbaths this change could be interpreted as either a Peckinpah-esque desire to show the real consequences of violence or as an unnecessary distraction in which special effects stunts trump resolution of a scene. Regardless of your tolerance for scenes of amputation and decapitation, this movie is worth seeking out for its original take on Zatoichi tropes and the deeper character development. A longer review than usual, but necessary for a more original movie.

17: Zatoichi Challenged ****

Another movie I have seen too many times, so familiarity has dulled some of my reactions. That said, certain scenes still reached me, which attests to my first impressions that this is amongst the best entries in the series. The first few minutes are almost like a “best of” with Zatoichi 1) mowing down a group of attackers in the tall grass during the introduction of the ronin he is destined to meet in the final showdown (#13 Zatoichi's Vengeance), then 2) he meets a dying woman and decides to take her son to his father (#8 Fight Zatoichi Fight). 3) No sooner do they set out than they connect with a group of travelling entertainers (#15 Zatoichi and the Cane Sword). At first it seems like nothing more than an opportunity to feature a popular enka singer’s latest hit, but it soon connects to the main story line and establishes important relationships between the main characters. The rest of the movie sees Zatoichi and the ronin independently uncover a samurai-yakuza plot to produce pornographic plates that allows for an interesting commentary on state censorship. The final sword fight between Zatoichi and the ronin in the snow (where did that come from?) is one of the best in the series, not only for its stalemate ending, but for Zatoichi’s revealing comments on how he feels about the samurai class.

Read Part 4: Guest Stars and Black Holes

Appendix: The Rating System

***** Classic (The most representative movies of the early, middle, and late years.)

****   Excellent (Innovative and enjoyable, with some formulaic elements that are just enough to fall short of a Classic rating.)

***     Good (Professional, entertaining efforts that did not push the boundaries.)

**       Fair (Coincidence-driven or otherwise flawed films. Some high points, but not enough to save the movie.)

*         Poor (Total bombs. Unfit for inclusion in the canon)