TALES OF ZATOICHI ~ PART 28: ICHI

Among the badass characters of cinema only one is blind, a master swordsman, biwa player, expert gambler, and masseur. There truly is no other character quite like the incredible Zatoichi. There's a reason why this character was a world wide phenomenon. I'm ashamed to say I've only just been intimately acquainted this last year with the infamous blind swordsman. We'll get to the real meat and potatoes of Zatoichi in another post. This post we'll be focusing on the 2008 film (the 28th film on the subject of Zatoichi) titled simply ICHI.

With the passing of the legendary Shintaro Katsu (the man who originally portrayed Zatoichi and up until 2003 the only actor to ever play the character) the series was laid to rest for a time. In 2003 a new film with a different actor attempted to reboot the franchise. In 2008 the franchise dramatically changed. Zatoichi was now a woman.

The basic plot is this: Ichi was born blind, a Goze (blind woman). When she was an infant she was rescued by the real Zatoichi and taken to live with a group of goze. She looked to him as her savior, mentor, and father. From time to time he'd leave and return over the years. He taught her his trade, to master his swordsmanship, and how not to be a victim in a harsh world. Living among the other goze she learned to play an instrument called the shamisen (a three stringed instrument similar to the lute). After a performance she was raped by a patron. Reaching for her sword, she slew the degenerate, her first kill. The laws of living with the goze require one to be celibate and therefore she was banished from the house.

In the dead of winter with nothing but her sword and shamisen, having experienced the single worst day of her life, Ichi set out to find her mentor, Zatoichi. Finding refuge where she could, and following rumors of the whereabouts of a talented blind masseur, Ichi eventually found herself within a small village beset by a gang of ruthless mercenaries called the Banki-to led by the powerful swordsman Banki. The Banki-to and the village's ruling yakuza family are at war, with the former proving stronger.

Ichi befriends a trouble man named Toma, a son of a swordmanship dojo and a master swordsman in his own right. Because of an accident as a young man where he accidentally killed his mother, Toma will never draw his blade again. On the way out of the village Ichi slays four Banki-to with lightning fast speed. These kills were mistakenly attributed to Toma. The local yakuza hire Toma to get rid of the Banki-to once and for all. It all ends in a showdown in the street between Toma, the yakuza, and Banki and the Banki-to with Ichi rushing to save Toma. You'll have to watch to see how it ends.

Having seen all the Zatoichi films prior to this one, I must say that I'm cool with the change. I'm all for badass ladies and actress Haruka Ayase is definitely that. She's pretty and withdrawn and very deadly in this film. As far as taking up the mantle she plays it with respect and a powerful seriousness. Shintaro Katsu always had an air mischief about his portrayal which is lacking in hers. But she's not playing the same character. She's acting as his successor and a woman whose life has been full of misfortune and tragedy. The damage she has sustained shows on her face and in her actions. She does a wonderful job throughout the entire film.

The humor is brought to the film through the character of Toma and a young boy who has lost his mother. The film follows closer to a classic Zatoichi film in plot and flow. In channeling the essence of Zatoichi the film succeeds. We are even shown flashbacks of Zatoichi and his training of Ichi. So Zatoichi is indeed in this film. The story is one succession. Ichi is now the one we will follow and the one to continue Zatoichi's legacy.

Before we leave I should note the violence in the film. The violence in Zatoichi films are typically either muted, in which case we see swords swinging and men falling. Or it is accentuated, in which case we see copious amounts of blood and severed limbs. This film falls under the latter. There's plenty of blood and the swordplay is badass. I'd call it either PG-13 or R rated violence. Plenty of wicked sword action to wet the appetite! All in all I really enjoyed it. A worthy addition to the franchise.

Overall Ranking: 6 out of 10