Customer Reviews

Zatoichi 22 - Zatoichi Meets the One Armed Swordsman

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I couldn't DISAGREE with Mr. Felder more. I suggest you see all the Zatoichi movies because NONE of them disappoint. Within all the series there is an analysis of each character that encompasses a strong emotional theme. In here you have a Chinese Character/Master-Swords-Man Wang Kong, who has come hundreds of miles to find peace, only to find the blood trail left in China has followed him to Japan. There paths cross as both try to save the life of an innocent (a child of a slain family), but corruption, deceit, and betrayal, with a lack of communication cloud there paths, only to lose themselves and face each other in the end. Subjectively this is one of the best endings and fight scenes within the Zatoichi series-if not the best. In addition the musical theme, particularly the fight scene between Ichi & Wang Kong is energetic and masterful. Highly Recommended.

This is actually the second Zatoichi film i've ever seen (first was Kitano's). I took a chance seeing Animeigo had a sell on it, and since I enjoyed their releases of Lone Wolf & Cub I gave this a chance. I knew it was going to be good, but I had no idea it was going to be that good. Nice mix of martial arts and swordsplay as Zatoichi meets the one armed chinese man. Sadly they misunderstand each other due to the language barrier.

As for the DVD, the quality is excellent (don't expect less from animeigo). There are a few features such as character profiles which lets you get a better grasp of the story. There is also production notes and a few trailers for other animeigo releases that are very pleasing (except I think the trailer for this movie is kind of spoiler-ish). My only gripe is, I heard there were two endings for this film. One shot for Japanese audiences (which is what i'm guessing this film used), and one for Chinese audiences (which I have a good idea as to what happened in it). It would of been nice if they included the alternate ending as an extra or atleast mention it, but oh well. Nothing big since the ending used was perfect for the film.

This is also my second Zatoichi movie, my first was the last movie he made before his death. I have to say that I didn't know what to expect even though I really liked his last movie as Zatoichi. Fortunatly this movie is great and something I enjoyed from begining to end. In a way I'm a bit concerned that this may be his best movie so I'm a bit reluctant to buy more of his films. If you're a first timer to Zatoichi then buy this movie because it's a good one.

This Zatoichi movie is a must see because:

1- This film also appears in the Bruce Lee's documental called "Bruce Lee the Legend".

2- The final fight was awesome.

3- Zatoichi ALMOST battle an army but they got scared.

4- Awesome movements of Shintaro Katsu.

5- Action packed!!!

This is your average tale from the Zatoichi series, except that Zatoichi befriends a Chinese man. After 2 highly successful movies with Jimmy Wang Yu playing the One-Armed Swordsman, he dares to take on this role in a Japanese movie with the one and only Zatoichi.

Wang Yu tries to protect a couple he has just met, and they end up dying at the hands of samurai upholding one of the Shogunate's stupid laws. He gets framed for all the killings the samurai did because he is Chinese. Talk about wrong place at the wrong time. Now he is on the run and has to keep on hiding with the couple's child while eliminating anyone who comes after him. Zatoichi looks to help the one-armed man in his crisis, but language barriers pose a big problem for the 2.

The action is good, just like all Zatoichi movies. This is only the 5th Zatoichi movie I have seen, 6 including Beat Takeshi's, and the action is BY FAR the best, at least from what I have seen. Part 6 is how far I had gotten in the series so far, and I was expecting the action to have at least minor improvements since I am jumping from part 6 to part 22, but I did not expect the action to be this good. The undercranking is used effectively, and Katsu Shintaro looks more deadly than ever. Jimmy Wang Yu is also very good, but this movie really shows how awesome Shintaro looks in comparison. Definitely one of Wang Yu's best fighting performances, but Shintaro's movements are truly lightning fast. Acting is the only area where they could be compared, and both are magnificent.

This is a Zatoichi movie, not a Jimmy Wang Yu movie. It seems like an average entry into the series, but Wang Yu is brilliant in his role, and may be the best character Zatoichi ever encountered. The cast includes a few other intriguing characters. A Yakuza boss that causes trouble, a prostitute, all of that stuff, but one guy to look out for is another blind gambler named Henoichi.

Expect great storytelling and acting, intense and graphic violence, some emotional and comedic moments, and a thrilling final battle. A masterpiece in every way.

5/5

The DVD from Animego has superb picture quality presented in widescreen. The picture is a tad grainy at times, but cleaned up remarkably. Like many DVD's from Animego, the notes provided give tons of information relating to Japanese myths and other things that come up in the film. I have heard there is a Chinese and a Japanese ending, but sadly the other ending is not included on the DVD. I can guess how the other version ends, but I still have to see it some day.

I highly recommend this Zatoichi film. It is another in a long line of great Zatoichi films. In this wonderful episode we find Zatoichi [Shintaro Katsu] meeting a man named Wang,[Jimmy Wang] from China. Wang is a good and decent man, not unlike Zatoichi. He is also very skilled with a sword. The problem is that Ichi does not speak Chinese, and Wang does not speak Japanese. The man also has one arm. But like Ichi who is blind, this is not a handicap: Wang is as lethal as Ichi with the sword.

And although they both ally themselves against the evil they encounter, it is the continual misunderstanding between Zatoichi and Wang that lead to their parting of ways. Both of the characters are decent men. They both have a high standard of decency in terms of their fellow man: especially in defending the weak and defensless. However, it is their language barrier that prohibits these two protagonists from finding a common ground: And in turn leads to an unnecessary confrontation between the two.

The ending I do not wish to spoil for you. It occurs with a confrontation between these two protagonists. Will there be a duel? Or will they part ways amicably? I will let you watch the episode for yourself, as I do not wish to spoil the ending of this delightful Zatoichi outing for you. I highly recommend this episode to all viewers, and of course, to all Zatoichi fans everywhere. Highly recommended.

this is a very rare opportunity to have shintaro katsu and wang yu together in one movie that is why this movie is so special. it is like putting 2 superstars in one movie. what is nice about original movies like this is that they do not employ computer graphics in its action sequences unlike today where the movie is so fake and ridiculously unbelievable. i prefer these 1960s zatoichi movies rather than their t.v. series version because the stories are better and it is in widescreen. i am collecting all these vintage 1960s zatoichi movies and still looking for the very first motion picture of zatoichi, anyone who knows where i can get it?

This movie has the flavor of a Hong Kong flick, with lots of martial arts and high jumps and just lots of action! A family of Chinese with a visiting martial artist are in the wrong place at the wrong time. Soon the artist, with the son of the family, are on the run - wanted by just about everybody. Of course, the boy runs into Zatoichi who ends up trying to help. The language barrier ends up being a real barrier in the movie, as the Chinese martial artist knows no Japanese - in fact he speaks Chinese and subtitles in Japanese appear on the right side of the screen - which is kind of cool. The ending is not a very happy one, even if the bad guys all die.
My DVD came with extras, such as trailers and program notes that explained, for example, a little about the Chinese language. Pretty awesome DVD and awesome movie!

I am now 61 years old, when I was a young man, my parents took me to a Chinese Theatre in L.A., Ca Chinatown to see the Chinese Version of One Armed Swordsman meets Zatoichi. The beginning is dramatically and tremendously different, the end part is the same except Zatoichi is more wounded and the One Armed Swordsman walks away seriously wounded.
I have tried to get an original Chinese version and ended up with three Japanese version mainly because of misleading or vague advertising.
In the Chinese version Wang intervenes and stands over the boy to protects him, the battle scenes between the Chinese and Japanese version are like day and night. In the Japanese version, Wang looks like an amature stuntman wannabe, it was terrible. In the Chinese version, protestecting the boy was masterful and tremendous. It is for this reason I wanted the Chinese version but there is some kind of business block preventing its disclosure and impossible to get!

The one- armed swordsman series is very good . Zatoishi series is also very good.This film however is the best of both the one-armed swordman films and Zatoishi series. There is a duel between Zatoishi and the one-armed swordsman in the end.They cant understand each other because of the language barrier.The duel is splendid but the result...If you like martial arts films, with a plot ( a good one ) go ahead and enjoy this film