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Film Review: Zatoichi’s Revenge (1965) by Akira Inoue

The Zatoichi series reached its milestone 10th outing in just three years since the release of the first, and it did so in style. It injected new blood into the series in the form of director for an entry that is much darker in subject than any of the previous adventures.

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Zatoichi's travels bring him back to the village where he first learnt the art of massage under his old teacher Master Hikonoichi. Since it has been more than ten years that Ichi last saw him, he decides to pay his respect to the man, but upon reaching the village, he finds out that Master Hikonoichi was recently murdered and his daughter Osayo was taken in by the brothel owner Tatsugoro, who in turn works for the local magistrate Jingo Odate. Most women of the village, in fact, are in the clutches of the local brothels. Ichi vows to free Osayo and the other women from the brothel, but he has another master swordsman standing in his way, Tatsugoro's chief enforcer Kadokura. Helping Zatoichi in his task is Denroku the Weasel, a local dice dealer known for his sleight-of-hand, and his daughter Tsuru, who has access to the captive Osayo.

By this point, the formulaic nature of these productions is getting quite obvious. Zatoichi going to a place where corrupt officials rule, gangsters with the local populace under their thumb, a gambling scene where Ichi reveals the cheaters' tricks and of course a young child or orphan, all are present. This formula feels a bit too obvious, particularly when you compare this with the film that preceded it, especially the gambling scene. But Inoue manages to keep things interesting with the darkest story in the series so far, dealing with the subject of flesh-trading. The women are portrayed as a commodity, regardless of their age or social standing, to be used for profit or by corrupt officials. So far, Ichi has avoided killing unless he absolutely has to, but here we also get to see him kill for justice and, as the title of course suggests, for revenge.

One of the key subplots that makes this entry tick is the development of Zatoichi's friendship with Denroku the Weasel. Denroku in himself is a great character, a man who wants to do good and be a good father for his daughter, but is weighed down by his proficiency at something strictly unethical and by being stuck in something he doesn't enjoy yet is particularly effective at. This ethical tussle is also seen in his interactions with Ichi, where he wants to help but circumstances force him to not be on the blind man's side. This gives way for some great banter between the two characters. Denroku is the source of most comedy here, which is otherwise rather muted compared to the few films in the series just before it. The same can be said for the action, which is, apart from a few swift kills sprinkled here and there, saved for the finale. The showdown with the yojimbo Kadokura is also memorable.

Speaking of the finale action sequence, it is rather well done, using some fluid handheld camerawork along with the more traditional camerawork. In fact, Inoue and cinematographer Fujio Morita, also making his first appearance to the series, give a distinct look, using black-and-white to showcase flashbacks and some impressive high, almost overhead camera angles. This leads “Zatoichi's Revenge” to be one of the best-looking in the franchise thus far. The same can also be said about Akira Ifukube's music, which makes heavy use of Spanish guitars, giving a spaghetti western effect to it.

Joining Katsu in his adventure this time is Kurosawa regular , whose Kadokura stands toe-to-toe with Zatoichi in terms of their sword-fighting prowess. His imposing physique and cocksure manner makes for a fearsome rival. Taking up the role of Denroku is , an actor known best for his comedic as well as other key side roles. Once again taking up both those acts, he proves to be a welcome addition. Katsu, by this point, has mastered the act of physical comedy in these films and Miki matches him in this regard, even trumping the lead actor in a few scenes. makes for a fair damsel-in-distress as Osayo while also makes her presence felt as Tsuru. Tatsugoro isn't a very fearsome antagonist, but (who makes his second appearance in the series after “Zatoichi on the Road“) successfully manages to make him repulsive.

's tenth time in the role of the blind masseur does not break many new grounds in terms of the narrative but, like a few of the films in the series, still ends up being fairly enjoyable and, as a series, continues to push forward in terms of visual and audible technicalities. Where many franchises would fail to even reach these many numbers, “Zatoichi's Revenge” proves that there's still life in this series yet.

About the author

Rhythm Zaveri

Hello, my name is Rhythm Zaveri. For as long as I can remember, I've been watching movies, but my introduction to Asian cinema was old rental VHS copies of Bruce Lee films and some Shaw Bros. martial arts extravaganzas. But my interest in the cinema of the region really deepened when I was at university and got access to a massive range of VHS and DVDs of classic Japanese and Chinese titles in the library, and there has been no turning back since.

An avid collector of physical media, I would say Korean cinema really is my first choice, but I'll watch anything that is south-east Asian. I started contributing to Asian Movie Pulse in 2018 to share my love for Asian cinema in the form of my writings.

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