Description: ZATOICHI: THE BLIND SWORDSMAN stars Japanese screen legend Beat Takeshi in an action-packed, award-winning film that has been compared to "Kill Bill Volume One." SONATINE also stars Beat Takeshi in a fast and furious gangland thriller with an edgy "Pulp Fiction" attitude. Both of these films include bonus DVD features, including an introduction to SONATINE by Quentin Tarantino, acclaimed director of such film favorites as "Pulp Fiction" and "Kill Bill" Volumes One and Two.
Wonderful A samurai ovie made by an artist who put more into this movie than the story.
Zatoichi... I'm a Beat Takeshi (Kitano) fan, what else can I say. The "man" does it again! I also agree with the others that, "If you don't like blood, don't see this film!" Five stars!
ONE GOOD BLOODY SAMURAI FLICK WITH A NOT SO GOOD BONUS First, I have to mention that this is the first Zatoichi movie I see. I haven't seen the old ones. Now to the review. You have to watch this!!!!! For starters, if you like to see a lot of blood been spill, you love this. Now, the FX of the blood coming out of wounds are not so good, but who cares? You love gore, you will get gore. Zatoichi is blind swordsman, read carefully, he is not a samurai in the practical sense. But he as a amazing warrior. The movie hints that he is know all across Japan. Now, the fight scenes are amazing, but they last a few seconds (with a lot of blood coming out of the victims by the gallons, and arms been cut off) the longest one is like 40 seconds. If you know a little about real katanas, and real samurai fights, you should know that those didnt last long, so the movie keep it historically real (the fights, not the story of course). Ok, the movie. Those who have read my previews know that I dont tell much. Zatoichi is like Kenshin from Samurai X in the sense that he is a wanderer. If he come across an injustice, he tries to put things in order by helping those who can't help themselves. He arrives at this town, which is been terrorize by 2 rival gangs. The DP and the Sound guy, created this amazing world, of sound and sight. The stories move smoothly and engages you totally. This is one of those movies were you think it ended, and then it continues, and do the same like 3 or 4 times. And it fools you twice..well, three times. Is a surprise, so watch it and you'll understand. The only thing I think people wont like are near the end, were people are having a festival, and they are playing this tecno music and dancing modern dance. Ok, that is not funny. A movie from feudal Japan and they are playing and dancing tecno???? What the fu&^%? Then again, it was only after watching the extras that I got it. Is like a inside joke of the director, so you'll need to see those too. A warning, the big fight...probably will get most people angry...one of the surprises of the movie. Like always, I recommend to rent it before you buy it. But if you are a samurai fan, then go ahead and make yourself happy. Now, the bonus, Sonatine. Is a boring movie. Not that I'm not use to the Kubrick style (long movie, few almost none dialog). Is that the movie is pointless. This guy who is a yakuza, wants to retire. And if you like mafia movies, you know that is a mistake. The movies moves slow. The only 2 redeeming quality is that it keeps you expecting more, and when they shoot some in the head they show it all, blood and everything. And for those breast lovers, there is a scene for you.
To end this. Zatoichi GREAT!, Sonatine, boring.
more swordsman than blind I am about to finish the original Shintaro Katsu Zatoichi episodes from the 1962 black and white, the 1963 colored version to the 1989 episode. Takeshi Kitano's Zatoichi just doesn't "cut" it. They made it worse by placing a low tech CGI bloodwork effect and having Kitano sport blonde hair instead of white. (dying one's hair blonde is unusual for an aged asian male...unless he plays an unusual character in a Kabuki). Shintaro Katsu was able to give life to Zatoichi through human emotion, love, humor, pain and a sense of destiny. Katsu's Zatoichi was wearing period accurate masseur's clothes or Kimono. On the other hand, Takeshi Kitano just played a blind old man who knows swordfighting. The latter's character was a bit 2 dimensional. It's also hard to tell what period Kitano's character was in. He was wearing modern pants in the movie and not a hakama but the other men in the movie were still wearing traditional gis, hakamas and the women wore kimonos. It was also weird in the end that he was able to open his eyes seemingly reveal that he was not blind after all and yet his eyes were all black. If he's not blind then he can't be called the blind swordsman right?
A two for one knock out combo I originally caught part of Zatoichi on tv late on night. After watching 20 min of the movie I was hooked. I loved everything from the comedic breaks with the gamblers to the beautifully choreographed fight scenes. It proves the point that sometimes less is really more. The movie also has a great sense of humor about it self, never taking things so seriously that it becomes terribly ridiculous. Capping it off with the dance at the end of the movie was just a nice bowtie on the whole package.
As for the second movie sonatine I found it enjoyable, but I'm not sure it translates as well across cultures. At times if felt like things were being shown that the audience was expected to have an imediate knowledge of, which often left me somewhat mystified. Still an enjoyable over the top kill fest, with salient moments of introspection.
These movies have convinced me to start digging for Takeshi Kitano movies when I can find them.
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