movie review: zatoichi

since zatoichi is opening in the states with limited release starting tomorrow, thought i'd write a brief review in case you're interested in watching it.


beat's platinum-haired zatoichi
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zatoichi is beat takeshi's (takeshi kitano) take on the traditional samurai story of the blind swordsman-nomad.  literary hundreds of zatoichi movies have been made in all mediums - cinema, tv serials, anime, etc.  (for one of the best originals, check out zatoichi kenka-tabi, which has a ridiculous nightime sword-fighting sequence in the woods).
 
zatoichi is *very* beat takeshi: off-beat humor, understated serenity and flashes of kinetic violence intertwined with the effortlessness that made hana-bi (fireworks) so enjoyable to watch.  any fans of beat or samurai flicks in general should be very pleased (as well as the general arthouse crowd).  although i enjoyed kikujiro and dolls, zatoichi is beat at his best.


asano fights beat
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tadanobu asano (basically the japanese johnny depp) also delivers another memorable performance.  for all you chris doyle cinematography fans out there, check out asano in doyle's last life in the universe - one of my favorite movies of all time.