Review of Zatoichi (2003) by Jamesm — 11 Dec 2005

Takeshi Kitano's masterpiece. You must see this film.

This review of Zatoichi (2003) was written by Jamesm on 11 Dec 2005.

Zatoichi has generally received positive reviews.

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More Reviews of Zatoichi

Review of Zatoichi (2003)

By Rene Rodriguez (1,781) for Miami Herald (3,319) on 15 Mar 2016

Because Kitano also wrote and directed the movie, Zatoichi also features all kinds of beguiling, if admittedly bizarre, subplots and forays…

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Review of Zatoichi (2003)

By Shocking (1) on 14 May 2018

It has taken me some time, but after watching this a few times over the past few years, I understand it and appreciate it more…

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Review of Zatoichi (2003)

By Peter Travers (3,602) for Rolling Stone (4,035) on 01 Aug 2010

Kitano is a riveting spectacle. So's the movie…

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Review of Zatoichi (2003)

By Sean Axmaker (1,564) for Seattle Post-Intelligencer (2,422) on 28 Sep 2012

More reinvention than remake, this black-humored, blood-soaked adventure is a colorful if impersonal audience pleaser done up in a showy, fluid…

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Review of Zatoichi (2003)

By Chris Barsanti (896) for Film Threat (5,156) on 05 Dec 2005

As entertaining and surprising as the film is, however, nothing can prepare one for its rousing final fight scenes…

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Review of Zatoichi (2003)

By Michael Rechtshaffen (1,086) for The Hollywood Reporter (7,050) on 17 Dec 2004

Mixing all the liberal blood-letting with equal amounts of inspired comedy, Kitano puts a fresh face on the classic material without messing…

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Review of Zatoichi (2003)

By Marrit Ingman (203) for Austin Chronicle (7,653) on 13 Feb 2014

Beneath its layers of epic detail, this Zatôichi is cinematic cotton candy…

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Review of Zatoichi (2003)

By Lawrence Toppman (1,654) for Charlotte Observer (1,670) on 09 Jan 2012

I never did sort out the gangsters fighting for control of a 19th-century town, nor did I figure out exactly what happened to the main henchman…

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Review of Zatoichi (2003)

By Roger Ebert (5,190) for Chicago Sun-Times (7,580) on 22 May 2008

The kind of film I more and more find myself seeking out, a film that seems alive in the sense that it appears to have free will; if, in the…

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Review of Zatoichi (2003)

By Kai82 (336) on 03 Jan 2020

Takeshi Kitano at his best. Zatoichi is a rivival of a famous Japanese movie series based of the books of Kan Shimozawa…

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