Bluebell Alcock
Ok... Let's be honest. It cannot be the best movie but is quite enjoyable. The movie has the potential to develop a great plot for future movies
Raymond Sierra
The film may be flawed, but its message is not.
Candida
It is neither dumb nor smart enough to be fun, and spends way too much time with its boring human characters.
mevmijaumau
There were seriously 25 Zatoichi films made in the time span of 1962 to 1973. Another, almost equally as amazing fact is that the second movie, The Tale of Zatoichi Continues, came out the exact same year as the first movie did. Naturally it's shorter, clocking in at one hour and ten minutes. It's directed by Kazuo Mori, best known for directing other Zatoichi films, and is the last Zatoichi film in B&W.The plot of the second movie is way less engaging than the plot of its predecessor. This time we follow Ichi as he's tailed by a group of killers after learning a powerful political figure's secret as he was giving him a massage. It turns out the lord has some mental problems, and his retainers try to conceal this secret from people. There's also a subplot about Ichi's one-armed brother Yoshiro (played by Shintaro Katsu's own brother Tomisaburo Wakayama, credited as Jo Kenzaburo) who is actually a wanted criminal, and the film culminates with the face-off between the two brothers. There's also another subplot which has Ichi travel to a temple of the first movie's town to pay respect at the grave of the samurai from the first film. There he meets Tane (the girl from the previous movie) who's about to marry a carpenter.The Tale of Zatoichi Continues follows some continuity by taking place a year after the events of the first movie, which is constantly referenced. One thing we learn about Zatoichi is that he had a soft spot for a girl named Chiyo, who left him for his brother (who then killed her). There's also a prostitute who has an one-night stand with Ichi at one point in the film.The Tale of Zatoichi continues is nowhere near as interesting as its prequel, but there are occasional good sword fights to be found in here. This film is more action-oriented and you'll find yourself enjoying Zatoichi's ass-kicking escapades if you can suspend the disbelief that he's completely blind and yet unmatched in sword fights.Even though this movie is forgettable and doesn't have much going for it, I must say the visuals are superior to the first film's visual outlook. The sequel sports some nice shots of characters by the water and the fights are better. However, the music is kinda strange; at some points it loudly builds up, only to get interrupted by a sudden cut.Hightlight of the film: the sudden end where Zatoichi delivers a killing cut to a yakuza gang leader.
kurosawakira
Never mind the first film to take its time in introducing the character to us, of which I am glad that it didn't rush. Now that we and the others in the film "know" him ( although part of the fun is that nobody is really able to know him and his skill really) the film goes to hyperdrive mode straightaway. It's fascinating to see this in retrospect, knowing it is a long franchise, and trying to map out the development and where the film and its success came from. Inthink the first film is strong because it takes its time in creating its own universe, simply so that the sequels don't have to work so hard in setting things up. It's nice, and so is the self-reference it allows both in humour and mythology, but the films quickly morph into each other. It doesn't seem to be a problem here, since aren't all series all about working for or against the set rules and archetypes in the previous films?Anyway, I think the two films have very well set up Zatoichi's blindness as a metaphor, yet it's the first film that's more ambitiously conceived. In this respect these two first films are like "Yojimbo" and "Sanjuro", Kurosawa's duology. The last shot of this film, however, is one of the coolest film moments I know of. Seriously. That last five seconds.
MartinHafer
In the 1960s and 70s, the Japanese made about 500000 Zatoichi films (or so it seems) and I have thoroughly enjoyed them all, even though after a while they all seem to blend together in my mind. Some viewers, like me, will like the familiarity of the character and story, while I am sure others will feel like "if you've seen one you've seen them all". Regardless of your opinion, they are all well-constructed and fun to watch even if the basic premise of the greatest swordsman being totally blind is ridiculous--you just need to suspend disbelief and enjoy.This is an early installment of the series and it's better than average because it actually has some continuity--making reference to the prior film in the series. Here, in a follow-up, you see Zatoichi pining for a long lost love and having an ultimate showdown with his main rival. Along the way, he falls afoul of a clan who is trying to kill him to keep their secret (their leader "has issues"). And, as usual, the film is filled with amazing sword fights as well as tender moments. This one won't disappoint and is one of the better Zatoichi films.
Tom (bighouseaz)
Part 2 of the Zatoichi film is good cinema and a compelling story. New details of Zatoichi's life are revealed, but at times it feels as though Katsu Shintaro and director Mori Kazuo have trouble breaking out of the original story of film number 1 to move on to newer, fresher territory. Have patience, the Zatoichi series does break into new and fertile ground in later films.Some people love trivia. Zatoichi's brother in the film (Yoshiro of Nagisa) is in fact played by Katsu Shintaro's actual brother, Wakayama Tomisaburo (credited here with the name Jo Kenzaburo). Katsu and sometime Zatoichi director Misumi Kenji will work together to produce and direct the best of the Baby Cart series starring Wakayama Tomisaburo as Itto Ogami in the 1970s.Another common question is the early films is, where did Zatoichi get his sword? Zatoichi buries his sword in film number one with Hirate Miki. It's now one year later, so presumably Zatoichi has replaced the cane sword from film number 1 with a new sword that looks very similar. During the climatic scene in film number 2, Zatoichi drops his sword and hustles his now wounded brother into the safety of a creek, leaving his sword behind. He makes his last kill in film number 2 with another person's sword. Does Zatoichi somehow recover this sword to use it in film number 3? There are some inconsistencies in the early films. At the beginning of the project, nobody in their wildest dreams could have believed that the series would eventually grow to 26 films.Film number 2 is somewhat of a let-down compared to the great first film. It is a good film, with interesting information about Zatoichi's youth. Zatoichi also finds love (at least for one night).
