As always, Zatoichi never disappoints. I enjoyed Samaritan Zatoichi even though it didn't try too hard to tread new ground. Yet somehow they always manage to present the Zatoichi films in such a way that its fresh and not a complete replicate of the previous films.
There are a few things the viewer should look out for, I'll try and describe them without giving away the story:
1) The outcome of the dice game is unexpected and isn't consistent with what we have learnt from Zatoichis' abilities in the previous entries in the series. I was puzzled by this scene...
2) In the final fight of the movie, Zatoichi's opponent makes the funniest most unexpected grunt right before he places the rag in his mouth!
3) Zatoichi's last sword move in this film is the fastest move I have ever seen in a Zatoichi film, I replayed that 3 second scene almost 20 times to actually try and figure out how he cut his opponent. Shintaro Katsu is the man! A worthy addition to the acclaimed Zatoichi series.
There are a few things the viewer should look out for, I'll try and describe them without giving away the story:
1) The outcome of the dice game is unexpected and isn't consistent with what we have learnt from Zatoichis' abilities in the previous entries in the series. I was puzzled by this scene...
2) In the final fight of the movie, Zatoichi's opponent makes the funniest most unexpected grunt right before he places the rag in his mouth!
3) Zatoichi's last sword move in this film is the fastest move I have ever seen in a Zatoichi film, I replayed that 3 second scene almost 20 times to actually try and figure out how he cut his opponent. Shintaro Katsu is the man! A worthy addition to the acclaimed Zatoichi series.