Takeshi Kitano  

Set in rural Japan at no specific point in time, although it hints at a more ancient period, circa 1900. The samurai is more or less a legend, a kind of tale that has vanished with time, kind of like the wild west cowboy, it’s a title, if you will. The film opens with Beat Takeshi sitting on the shoulder of a dirt road, from there one could only imagine the kind of intro we would be treated to. Zatoichi is the all knowing quiet & humble figure that has often been portrayed in films, the kind that turns to violence as a last resort. To the townspeople he is the Masseur, whom cautiously feels his way along the dirt roads of a gang ridden town. The local sake (Japanese drink) tavern is the spot where many of the characters in the film cross paths, all of the scenes that take place in the sake tavern are essential to the development of the story, in that they provide great incite, thus helping us gather knowledge of each and every character in the film, for there are quite a few. Primarily we have Zatoichi, secondary I guess we could fit in Hattori (hired ronin by one of gang lords) The two geishas (out to avenge the murder of their family) as well as Zatoichi’s gambling buddy.   

The film has many things going on at one, as mentioned above, each character has it’s own mission, so to speak, they each set out to accomplish something, it simply becomes a matter of bringing these events together, essentially that is what the film does. In short, without going too much into detail, the film succeeds on a story telling level, to keep true to each of the characters calling, as opposed to mixing it all in too soon together, it is only in towards the final acts of the film that we uncover great truths about each character. Visually speaking the film is incredible, it’s just beautiful, a lack of concrete sur adds a touch of fantasy to the film. The Town in the film is beautifully designed, nothing to eccentric to the point of distraction. Inside the sake tavern we get a feel of the old western bar, kind of, with some locals. The cinematography I found to be quite formal, except during the fight scenes. Well, the fight scenes, they are outstanding, Zatoichi is as bad ass as they come in my opinion, appearances can sure be deceiving. Battle sequences in Zatoichi are quick and to the point, no beating around the bush, more like cut straight through the bush. Those blades are insanely sharp, I mean, they cut through people as a knife would through very very very soft butter.   

There was one thing however that caught me off guard in the first few minutes of the film, the use of CGI. It’s not that I am against it or anything, it’s just that I didn’t expect it, however, when I saw that first spurt of blood fly out the zatoichi (victim 1 of 50 or so? Who knows) I was like whoa, that’s some crazy blood! It kind of reminded my of Blade (snipes) blood. Don’t get me wrong, when used properly, CGI I mean, it can definitely enhance the experience, and in the case of Zatoichi it did. It helped accomplish interesting decapitation shots. The film closes with what appears to be a ritual dance that escalates into a kind of tapp jazz show, in which the characters are performing along, in a theatrical fashion. I found this quite interesting, for it kind of put us in a position to question ourselves as to what we’ve just seen, indeed it was a beautifully crafted film, in that the audience were treated to an ultimate spectacle, both in terms of the stories developed, but also in the genres intertwined together, something that is very common in Japanese cinema. In all honesty Zatoichi was probably the best film that I saw at the festival this year (tough choice). Beat Takeshi pulls it off, both directing and staring in this marvellous stylish piece of work that deserves the attention of any film lover.      

Elephant