ZATOICHI #16
Directed by Satsuo Yamamoto • 1967 • Japan
Zatoichi arrives in a town where a gambling house is kidnapping its poor, debt-ridden patrons. A rival establishment moves to pay those debts and free the peasants, but this second house’s seemingly altruistic boss is actually laying the groundwork for a ruthless money-grabbing scheme. The sixteenth ZATOICHI film is the first effort from its star’s own Katsu Productions, and it is one of the series’ most daring, with its complex characters, subversive social themes, and moral outrage.
Up Next in Samurai
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Humanity and Paper Balloons
Directed by Sadao Yamanaka • 1937 • Japan
A poor, masterless Samurai who depends on the paper balloons his wife makes to feed his family becomes tempted by a criminal opportunity.
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Samurai Saga
Directed by Hiroshi Inagaki • 1959 • Japan
Starring Toshiro Mifune, Yoko TsukasaFollowing the triumphs of THE SAMURAI TRILOGY and RICKSHAW MAN, celebrated jidai-geki master Hiroshi Inagaki and legendary star Toshiro Mifune reteamed for this superlative adaptation of Edmond Rostand’s evergreen p...
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Zatoichi Meets the One-Armed Swordsman
ZATOICHI #22
Directed by Kimiyoshi Yasuda • 1971 • JapanIt's East meets East when one of Japan’s action idols crosses paths with an iconic kung-fu hero from Hong Kong. While traveling the countryside, Zatoichi comes across Wang Kang (Jimmy Wang Yu), a Chinese swordsman protecting a brutally orp...
