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The Blind Swordsman: Zatoichi / Sonatine [DVD]
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| Genre | Action & Adventure |
| Format | AC-3, Dolby, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC, Closed-captioned, Color, DVD |
| Contributor | Michiyo Ookusu, Akira Emoto, Ittoku Kishibe, Makoto Ashikawa, Ben Hiura, Suji, Hideboh, Yui Natsukawa, Tadanobu Asano, Yoshiyuki Morishita, Daigorô Tachibana, Yuuko Daike, Saburo Ishikura, Kohji Miura, Takeshi Kitano, Noriyasu, Kosuke Ohta, Edamame Tsumami, Gadarukanaru Taka See more |
| Language | Japanese |
| Runtime | 3 hours and 30 minutes |
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Product Description
ZATOICHI: THE BLIND SWORDSMAN stars Japanese screen legend Beat Takeshi in an action-packed, award-winning film that has been compared to "Kill Bill Volume One." SONATINE also stars Beat Takeshi in a fast and furious gangland thriller with an edgy "Pulp Fiction" attitude. Both of these films include bonus DVD features, including an introduction to SONATINE by Quentin Tarantino, acclaimed director of such film favorites as "Pulp Fiction" and "Kill Bill" Volumes One and Two.
Product details
- Is Discontinued By Manufacturer : No
- MPAA rating : R (Restricted)
- Product Dimensions : 7.5 x 5.5 x 0.75 inches; 2.88 ounces
- Director : Takeshi Kitano
- Media Format : AC-3, Dolby, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC, Closed-captioned, Color, DVD
- Run time : 3 hours and 30 minutes
- Release date : November 9, 2004
- Actors : Takeshi Kitano, Yuuko Daike, Akira Emoto, Hideboh, Ben Hiura
- Subtitles: : English, Spanish
- Language : French, Japanese (Dolby Digital 2.1)
- Studio : Miramax
- ASIN : B0002W4TOO
- Number of discs : 2
- Best Sellers Rank: #60,467 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
- #529 in Foreign Films (Movies & TV)
- #6,119 in Action & Adventure DVDs
- Customer Reviews:
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Top reviews from the United States
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Beautiful presentation. Clear, beautiful colors, sharp blacks, and even the once horrible CG blood is touched up to be a little more palpable (easily by biggest issue with the DVD release).
Fun, I guess. Original Zatoichi is way better. So is ‘Ichi’.
Zatoichi: The Blind Swordsman drops you right into the action. It's a very traditional yet immensely interesting samurai story; it's a samurai film that blends its drama and action very well. Zatoichi shows up at a time of violence and oppression for the townspeople, and slowly helps as he bonds with those he meets - whether it be the geishas seeking revenge for their family's slaughter or the kind farmer forced to pay excessive amounts for protection. The action sequences are superb and often intense, especially the samurai showdowns. Zatoichi stays mysterious as masseur, which I also enjoyed. The ending of this film was odd yet great - I enjoyed it vastly as it added cultural depth and was very original.
The acting was fantastic from the entire cast. Beat Takeshi is amazing as the mysterious samurai, Zatoichi. The music in the film is great, especially the ending, which is paired with a great dance sequence. The costumes and settings are great. I also enjoyed most the visual effects. The splashing computer blood gave the film a comic book/manga vibe; however, the gore effects were bad, and often distracting. Fortunately, the gore is limited to a few scenes, so it wasn't a significant issue. I own the Miramax Blu-ray of the film, and it looks and sounds great; definitely worth owning, if you can find a copy.
Overall, Zatoichi: The Blind Swordsman is a very entertaining samurai tale; the performances, the music, the action all create an immersive and authentic atmosphere. Highly recommended for fans of the genre.
Zatoichi: The Blind Swordsman has strong blood and violence.
The CGI blood and effects are glaringly obvious and terrible. At one point a sword done in CGI for some inexplicable reason is impaled in the ceiling and falls out, leaving no hole in the wood. Fire on a dry thatched roof building doesn't spread. The swordplay is precise and highly entertaining, however. In keeping with the original films, it's often brutal and over quickly.
The plot is typical Zatoichi fare, he wanders in to town and gets caught up in a feud between not two, but three rival gangs. Strangely to me at least, Zatoichi seems mostly a disinterested bystander throughout most of the film. He's there, but often on screen for just short moments while the story spends a great deal more time on the scheming and back and forth of the gang battles and the people he stays with.
Overall I thought it was just good, not great, which is a shame because Takeshi does a great job overall as Zatoichi himself. It's too bad the movie wasn't more of a retcon or origin story rather than a random middle entry in the original series.
Top reviews from other countries
The plot of Zatoichi is layered and at times difficult to follow, but the masterful balance of action and meditative sequences more than makes up for it. The atmosphere and poignancy of the images make this movie a pleasure to watch, and the director's comical vein ensures that the story does not come across as too sad despite its serious themes. I especially enjoyed the music and the choreography of the action, but I also loved the attention to the stories of individual characters, each with their own memories and dreams. In short, I strongly recommend this movie.





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