Zatôichi tekka tabi (1967)'s comments

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nbats

https://youtu.be/zPkaFvAsg0g

1 year 10 months ago

Some of the Zatoichi movies have very generic titles and I feared Zatoichi's Cane Sword could be one of those. Happily, it DOES focus on Ichi's singular sword. People like to joke about the death toll in these movies, and in the 15th film, it seems the weapon could become victim of its own success and over-use. Can a sword die? Well, when it cuts through stone and wood in addition to yakuza thugs, it may. Ichi gets of course embroiled in the affairs of a village in the grip of dishonorable gangsters and the lives of their victims, and there's a certain thrill to seeing him face the situation without his resorting to swordplay (new wrinkles on the gambling confrontation abound). But of course, violence begets violence, and Ichi must eventually do what he does best in a finale enlivened by snow and barrels (you heard me), and a well-crafted surprise to trigger the climax too. Don't expect too much of an origin story for the sword, but the acknowledgement that is is special in some way is enough to background the story.

3 years 9 months ago