Zatoichi’s caught in between nasty gangsters and ungrateful villagers in this 14th entry that boasts great action but little in a way of a substantial story.
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Zatoichi’s caught in between nasty gangsters and ungrateful villagers in this 14th entry that boasts great action but little in a way of a substantial story.
Zatoichi’s use of violence to right wrongs is called into question in this well-made 13th installment.
There may not be much action, but this quite solid 12th instalment takes its time to give us well-developed characters in a narrative about strategic one-upmanship.
This easy-going if poor entry doesn’t quite contribute much to Zatoichi’s characterisation, nor does it have an involving premise.
This tenth instalment goes into darker territory with forced prostitution as one of its themes, but Zatoichi is in a serious mood to right wrongs with several well-choreographed fight scenes in store.
The theme of the ‘father figure’ dictates the narrative of this decent 9th instalment of the ‘Zatoichi’ series.
This 8th instalment is one of the series’ best—and different too—with director Kenji Misumi fashioning a slower-paced tale about Zatoichi’s longing for fatherhood.
The franchise’s 7th movie is its first true disappointment with a middling story, low stakes and a weak villain.
This sixth installment benefits from the wild, manic energy sustained by relatively new director Kazuo Ikehiro.
It does feel overly-plotted, but this fifth ‘Zatoichi’ installment builds up to an all-out street gang war.