Review of Zatoichi: Darkness Is His Ally (1989) by William T — 16 Mar 2008
Shintaro Katsu's last outing as the indestructible blind swordsman/masseur Zatoichi. Elegiac in tone, kinda like a parable at times. Zato has to deal with spineless, ruthless, venal gangsters and politicians, much like he always does. Some remarkably-well orchestrated scenes and moments, like a picaresque. The emphasis is not on incident and plot, but rather rhythm and character. Zato wanders from situation to situation, meets a variety of interesting/nice/dangerous/desperate /kind people.
Highlights:
A dirty politico's pyscho meltdown.
Ken Ogata as a ronin who likes to draw things.
Zatoichi in prison, and his association with a deluded young revolutionary.
Watch it.
This review of Zatoichi: Darkness Is His Ally (1989) was written by William T on 16 Mar 2008.
Zatoichi: Darkness Is His Ally has generally received very positive reviews.
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