The zatoichi the blind swordsman set ends with zatoichi s conspiracy 1973, but theres no sense of closure like a book as the character moved onto television from 1974 to 1979, and then katsu returned to the role one last time in zatoichi the blind swordsman 1989. Refine see titles to watch instantly, titles you havent rated, etc. Zatoichi, the fugitive is the fourth entry in the franchise and the second film to be shot in color. Zatoichi, zatoichi released in the us as the blind swordsman. Come and experience your torrent treasure chest right here. Extras include liner notes by tom mes, a foldout mini poster and trailers for zatoichi and the fugitives, samaritan zatoichi and an overall promo for home visions zatoichi series. Sadly though, this second film is also the final film in this series to be shot in black and white, as the numerous continuation films were in colour. The blind swordsman zatoichi the fugitive english subtitled. Not to be confused with episode four, zatoichi the fugitive, this one is about ichi tangling with a gang of six vicious thugs on a murderous crime spree. Sep 16, 2015 this list tries to track down not only the greatest, but also the most essential zatoichi films which brought this formula to live, tried to improve it or varied it intelligently. Meanwhile a long lost love of zatoichi s returns to his life. Zatoichi the blind swordsman the criterion collection blu.
Sonatine absolutely stands by itself and defies explanation, outside of. Zatoichi 18z zatoichi and the fugitives 1968 part 18 of 26 v1. A list of the zatoichi films in chronological order. He has a code, but enforces it according to his own rules.
Zatoichi 23 zatoichi at large zatoichi goyotabi 1972 2004 katsu production co. Daiei was established in 1942 under its original title of the greater japan motion picture production company dai nihon eiga seisaku kabukishikigaisha. Trailer after arriving in the town of shimonita, ichi finds that a price has been put on his head by a local yakuza boss. Zatoichi the fugitive is a different kind of monster from the previous three films, is fast pace and packs. During his travels, ichi has a few runins with members of a gang of fugitives and eventually they all arrive in the same town. An itinerant blind masseur who also happens to be a lightningfast swordsman. Zatoichi is caught in a sinister web of torture and extortion as local bandits and gangs brutalize the countryside. Zatoichi and the fugitives the movie zatoichi the blind. Another solid zatoichi film, zatoichi the fugitive once again follow zatoichi as he is pursued and must do the right thing in order to protect and help the helpless and defend himself from those.
May 21, 2016 the fugitives beat the doctor to find out where zatoichi is. If you like the formula, every film will hold its share of great entertainment for you. The 18th film in the long running series is a rousing and exciting entry that finds our hero once again having to face a corrupt official. Zatoichi is a 2003 japanese samurai dramaaction film, directed, written, coedited by and starring takeshi kitano beat takeshi in his 11th directorial venture. Zatoichi and the fugitives 1968 the criterion collection.
Unfortunately, a group of criminals also come to town and stay with a corrupt official. It was originally released by the daiei motion picture company later acquired by kadokawa pictures. As this iconic figure, the charismatic and earthy shintaro. Zatoichi and the fugitives is a 1968 japanese chambara film directed by kimiyoshi yasuda and starring shintaro katsu as the blind masseur zatoichi. Zatoichi and the fugitives 1968 part 18 of 26 part 12. Zatoichi and the fugitives 1968 where to watch it streaming. Zatoichi, zatoichi is a fictional character featured in one of japans longestrunning series of films and a television series that are both set during the late edo period 1830s and 1840s. Zatoichi the fugitive with shintaro katsuwas in zatoichi meets yojimbo with toshiro mifunewas in sanjuro with. A letter of challenge is the eighteenth film in the series. Zatoichi at large is the twentythird entry in the japanese franchise about the blind masseur, skilled swordsman and lowly yakuza with a strong moral compass whose words speak louder than his actions. Oct 22, 2015 one of the fugitives throws knives, and there is even a gun during one crucial scene. The adventures of the legendary blind swordsman in a killer, twentyfive film set.
The adventures of the legendary blind swordsman in a killer, twentyfivefilm set the colossally popular zatoichi films make up the longestrunning action series in japanese history and created one of the screens great heroes. Does not include remakes and other similarly related films, just the original film series. One of the fugitives throws knives, and there is even a gun during one crucial scene. Nov 25, 2016 zatoichi and the fugitives 1968 freddie randall. This is the first film of the series that fails to completely satisfy me. It feels a little different from the usual zatoichi. Mar 10, 2017 zatoichi is a criticallyacclaimed recent entry in a decadeslong japanese media franchise, but i regrettably found it to be rather poor, with limp, meandering pacing and fun yet uninteresting. Its written by kinya naoi and directed by kimiyoshi yasuda. The wandering swordsman finds himself in a small village that serves as hideout for a band of fugitives who control the town officials and enforce brutal slave labor in the local silk mill. Despite zatoichi being something of an unstoppable, seagalesque force of nature this time round, i enjoyed zatoichi and the fugitives a lot. Zatoichi the fugitive is the fourth zatoichi film and the second one in a row directed by tokuzo tanaka.
Fans of old date, occasional fans of chambara films and those who are curious about the massive zatoichi saga but havent checked it out yet should appreciate zatoichi and the fugitives alike. Katsu is still great and there is an interesting plot thread concerning a weak man who is placed in a position of leadership. Ichi is, as ever, wandering the back roads of japan, when he stumbles upon a pregnant woman whos just been robbed and left for dead. Zatoichi returns and cops down six of the fugitives. Jan 14, 2019 the restorations are fantastic, with each and every film looking richly detailed, clean and natural. Zatoichi and the fugitives is definitely one the few that stands out from the rest of the series much like how zatoichi and the chess expert and zatoichi the outlaw did that is if you watched the films in the order it was released. I think this movie would probably be regarded higher if it was a stand alone samurai film and not part of the zatoichi franchise getting lost in the shuffle with other excellent films. The final 1989 film, zatoichi the blind swordsman is missing, possibly due to rights issues, as is the television series.
Ichi befriends the local doctor, junan, veteran kurosawa regular takashi. The fugitives beat the doctor to find out where zatoichi is. The greedy boss cooperates with the cruel fugitives and zatoichi steps up to prevent further bloodbaths. Aug 05, 2004 zatoichi is no retread of past glories its his first period film, set in the 19th century but it restores the sublime mix of introspection and stillness interspersed with brief, bloody.
The first 20 films were produced and distributed by daiei film except for the 16th film zatoichi the outlaw and the 20th film zatoichi meets yojimbo which were produced by shintaro katsus own company, katsu productions, and distributed theatrically by daiei. As tensions mount between rival yakuza clans, one boss hires a formidable but ailing ronin as his clans muscle, while the other employs a humble, moral blind masseur named ichi. On imdb tv, you can catch hollywood hits and popular tv series at no cost. Zatoichi the fugitive zatoichi 1963 zahyo monogatari 1963 akumyo ichiba asakichi. Zatoichi the fugitive is a different kind of monster from the previous three films, is fast pace and packs more action, is another approach to the saga, the story is more selfcontain or could be the beginning of a new arc for our antihero, i know soon enough. So the first of these films that i watched was zatoichi the fugitive, the. The colossally popular zatoichi films make up the longestrunning action series in japanese history and created one of the screens great heroes. Zatoichi and the fugitives letterboxd your life in film. The fugitive is the fourth episode in the 26 part film series devoted to the character of zatoichi. Hopefully, they gave the character a proper sendoff. Movies like zatoichi and the fugitives if you like zatoichi and the fugitives you are looking for exciting, rough and serious movies about with snake, katana, adventure, martial arts, gangsters, samurai and crimes themes of drama, action and adventure genre shot in japan. Zatoichi and the fugitives, zatoichi hatashijo is a 1968 japanese chambara film directed by kimiyoshi yasuda and starring shintaro katsu as the blind masseur zatoichi.
Still, this movies brutal, desperate and gloomy atmosphere makes it one of the most remarkable entries in the franchise. It begins with the blindman coming into a town and befriending a kindly doctor who tries to take care of the locals. If this series were to be compacted into a trilogy, this film would be at the tailend. The character, a blind masseur and blademaster, was created by novelist kan shimozawa. This samurai drama pits zatoichi shintaro katsu against a band of ruffian outlaws. Cult director and star takeshi kitanos revival of the longrunning japanese series. Zatoichi has fully embraced the path of the lone wolf. The company began submitting its films to overseas festivals in the early 1950s with titles such as akira kurosawas. The thugs dont really want a massage, merely a victim to slowly torture in fun. Staring jutaro hojo, toru abe, katsuhiko kobayashi and junichiro narita.
Blind swordsman 4 the fugitive on dvd 037429170526 from home vision. However, the doctor and his daughter get kidnapped and zatoichi gets severely wounded. Zatoichi runs afoul of some evil fugitives, working for a corrupt law official. Zatoichi the fugitive 1963 aka zatoichi 4 starring sh.
The companys early output consisted primarily of war propaganda films. He plays, as usual, a man with an impassive face, few words, and sudden bursts of action that end in a few seconds. Zatoichi again has to face the consequences of his violent legacy on those he aims to protect. The blind swordsman and the fugitives kimiyoshi yasuda the 18th zatoichi film. Shintaro katsu is perfectly cast, as zatoichi, being in every sense, except one, ordinary. This outing places the blind swordsman against a corrupt official that is aided by fugitives.
This lean and mean entry is packed with coldhearted villainy and rough justice, but it finds its heart in the great takashi shimura ikiru, who plays a kindly country doctor caught up in a violent world. The film convinces with gloomy atmosphere, profound characters and brutal fight sequences. A yakuza gang targets the blind masseur zatoichi after he defeats their group in a wrestling match. After nearly settling down to domestic life with a good woman in 1963s new tale of zatoichi by tozuka tanaka, our hero ichi now finds himself dodging bounty hunters and getting stuck between warring yakuza in zatoichi the fugitive, the second zatoichi film. The fugitive, zatoichi kyojo tabi is a 1963 japanese chambara film directed by tokuzo tanaka starring shintaro katsu as the blind masseur zatoichi, originally released by the daiei motion picture company now known as kadokawa pictures. Zatoichi the fugitive letterboxd your life in film. The last 6 films and the tv series were also produced by katsu productions. It tells how zatoichi meets a dying pregnant woman on the road who got attacked and robbed by an unknown assailant.
The injured swordsman must free his friends, deal with the cruel fugitives and confront the evil boss. Zatoichi and the fugitives the movie zatoichi the blind swordsman japanese weng subs. The blind swordsman movie videos for the full length movie and video clips on mefeedia. Realizing his mistake, he sets out to protect the dead mans sister, who is conflicted in accepting his help. Zatoichi and the fugitives is the eighteenth entry in the japanese franchise about the blind masseur, skilled swordsman and lowly yakuza. Hypnotically beautiful looking, i could easily tune out the plot, and just enjoy the visuals, and impressive swordplay. Zatoichi and the fugitives 1968 part 18 of 26 part 22. The blind masseur and swordsman, zatoichi, learns of a powerful political figures secret and is quickly tailed by a group of killers. Zatoichi and the fugitives 1968 directed by kimiyoshi. Zatoichi seems to have totally pushed aside any hangups he had about being a murderer in zatoichi and the fugitives.
Its the second of three films released within the same year. However, i was confused by all the players in the yakuza politics and the introduction of ichis lost love seemed tacked on and unnecessary. Zatoichi embodies the kinds of contradictory elements that make takeshi kitano japans most intriguing contemporary actordirector. This makes his dexterity with the sword, which he holds. This deluxe set features the string of twentyfive zatoichi films made between 1962. The story behind these fugitives is a mystery thats gradually revealed, so i wont go into much detail except to note that the coldblooded bastards dont hesitate to wipe out innocent families and murder children. If only we had fewer fugitives and more shimura, this could have been one of the better episodes in the series. A sightless samurai in 19thcentury japan helps two sisters get revenge on the gang that murdered their parents. Zatoichi and the fugitives is pitch black dark, with no. Zatoichi is not as superhuman and actually bleeds in this film, and the action sequences are well developed. Criterion shintaro katsu relies on his blade in 1963s zatoichi on the road. Zatoichi and the fugitives is the 18th zatoichi film and it first appeared in the theaters august 10 1968.
On dvd, the anamorphic widescreen transfer is great and the sound is in its original mono format. The blind swordsman actionadventure films make up the longestrunning action series in japanese history and created one of the screens great heroes. As this iconic figure, the charismatic and earthy shintaro katsu became an instant superstar, lending a largerthanlife presence to the thrilling adventures of a man who. Best movies like zatoichi and the fugitives bestsimilar. Man, thats all im going to say about it but this was absolutely my favorite fight. All of the films are presented in their original aspect ratios of about 2. The film is a revival of the classic zatoichi series of samurai film and television dramas. Hes drawn into a trap, but after hearing of the slaying of a former love, ichi furiously fights his way through the entire clan to face the killer, a hired ronin. Then another dozen or so and then the show down with the leader. Select any poster below to play the movie, totally free.
The wounded zatoichi is still too much for the doctors son and he quickly chops him down. It feels a little different from the usual zatoichi shtick. Zatoichi is tricked by a crime gang into killing a man. Its kinda forgettable and blends in with the previous film for me even though the storyline is quite different.
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