ZATOICHI #8
Directed by Kenji Misumi • 1964 • Japan
While on the road, Zatoichi befriends a young mother right before she is savagely murdered. Promising her that he will hand over her baby to its father, the blind masseur embarks on an adventure both sentimental and beset by perilous action. This eighth ZATOICHI feature is an excellent showcase for star Shintaro Katsu, who evinces an extraordinary physical and emotional range as the blind swordsman, here father, mother, husband, and reluctant killer all at once.
Up Next in Samurai
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Zatoichi and the Chess Expert
ZATOICHI #12
Directed by Kenji Misumi • 1965 • JapanKenji Misumi, who directed the first installment of the ZATOICHI series, returns with this tale in which the blind swordsman once again finds himself the protector of a child: a little girl pursued by both devious family members and bloodthirs...
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Yotsuya Kaidan, Part One
Directed by Keisuke Kinoshita • 1949 • Japan
Iemon Tamiya is an impoverished masterless samurai who craves a better life, which he cannot have because of his marriage to Oiwa, who is completely devoted to her husband. She, in turn, is the object of a deadly, obsessive love of a criminal, Kohei, ...
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Zatoichi in Desperation
ZATOICHI #24
Directed by Shintaro Katsu • 1972 • JapanStar Shintaro Katsu sits in the director’s chair for this psychedelic and unremittingly bleak entry in the Zatoichi series, which is unlike any other in its grind-house grimness. A tale of innocence corrupted by sadistic, sleazy criminality,...
