The Movie

The beloved Zatoichi saga continues with Zatoichi Meets the One-Armed Swordsman, a reliably delightful and action-packed entry into this beloved series. This particular film is the 22nd in the long-running series, and was the last to be produced by the legendary Daiei studio; soon afterwards, even the even more legendary Toho studio took up the Zatoichi reins. In any case, the result is a typically entertaining Zatoichi adventure: full of swordplay, humanism, humor, bloodletting, and everything else that makes Saturday-afternoon Samurai Cinema so gosh-darn fun.

For those of you who are not in the know, Zatoichi is a masseur and travelling swordsman, whose utter blindness hasn't stopped him from becoming one of the most skilled and deadly warriors in Japan. During his usual travails of walking around the Japanese countryside and slicing up brigands, thieves, murderers, and yakuzas, he comes across a young Chinese boy whose entire family has been slaughtered in an ambush. The ambush also took the lives of a royal envoy with a load of abalone on its way to the Shogun, and every witness, farmer, and civilian in the area was also slaughtered. The local scuttlebutt indicates that a visiting Chinese martial artist was responsible for the heinous act, but the truth lies beyond common knowledge. Adding to the story's intrigue is the fact that this wanted Chinese martial artist is indeed a formidable opponent, but he only has one arm! When Zatoichi and the One-Armed Swordsman finally confront each other, will it be as friend or foe?

One thing I really enjoy about the Zatoichi series is the fact that they balance the action scenes, with a good deal of back story, character development, humor, and plot. Those expecting wall-to-wall action may end up being slightly disappointed by these films, but enjoy the fact that the filmmakers take their time to create a world full of fascinating characters, solid storylines, and smaller moments that make these movies seem richer and fuller than others of its type. The films may not be masterpieces, but they make for one hell of an exciting ongoing serial.

So how does that saying go? "In the Kingdom of the Blind, the One-Eyed Man is King"... I think I got that from an episode of Babylon 5, so I'm not exactly trying to blow smoke up your butt with some ersatz erudition. So how can I exploit that slight piece of trivia to my prosaic advantage? Hmm... "In the Kingdom of the Blind, the One-Armed Swordsman kicks ass!" Man, that sucks. But this movie doesn't. It's one of the most exciting and entertaining Zatoichi films ever shot... well, that's certainly a glowing bit of hyperbole, isn't it? The truth is, I haven't seen every Zatoichi film. I've probably seen maybe eight or nine of them. But I got everything I wanted out of Zatoichi Meets the One-Armed Swordsman, except for maybe a llama, and a tall order of grappa.