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Shintarô Katsu, Mikio Narita, Chizu Hayashi, Kaneko Iwasaki, Gaku Yamamoto

The great Zatoichi, gambler and ex-samurai extraordinaire, returns in this installment of the Japanese adventure series. This time, the blind warrior makes friends with another fighter/chess-player du... read more read more...ring a voyage to Honshu island to attend a gambling match on Mt. Fuji. Zatoichi's new friend finds the old master fascinating. The two become involved in adventure when they are set upon by bandits when landing. During the ensuing battle, a young girl is harmed and Zatoichi heads off to right the wrong ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

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79% liked it

843 ratings

Unrated, 1 hr. 27 min.

Directed by: Kenji Misumi

Release Date: December 24, 1965

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DVD Release Date: May 18, 2004

 

Stats: 32 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (32)

  • kiriyamakazou
    August 25, 2009
    kiriyamakazou
    Zatoichi and the Chess Expert reminds you of what a great series this really is. It sticks to the tried and tested formula, but adds unforgettable moments of humanity and emotion. Zatoichi, in a first in the series, make a number of mistakes, reminding us that he is human. He los... read morees a chess match, and for once he isn't trying to deceive his opponent. Then, he gets caught off guard, in a scene that has you genuinely worried about his safety. This scuffle also results in a young girl being hurt. Zatoichi's (usually) flawless trickery when betting also goes wrong and for once he dwells on his mistake. In one scene Zatoichi searches through the mud for a box of medicine he has dropped. We can see the box just to his right, but for the first time you feel as though Zatoichi feels beaten by his blindness. There's something desperate in Katsu's performance that displays a new found vulnerability. We are also lucky to have a fantastic "villain" played by the wonderful Narita. He is an intellectual equal, if not a physical one. They begin a friendship that echoes the one in the first film and Narita even offers to be Zatoichi's bodyguard. If this wasn't enough Zatoichi also becomes involved in a complex romance. It's an excellent film in it's own right, pushing out the violence during the middle of the film, in order to focus on character. The editing also really shines in this film, as we see Zatoichi leave a room and slowly go for his sword as Narita goes for his back inside the room. It's a silent moment of pure tension. As part of the series, it is the jolt that it (being the 12th film in the series) really HAD to be.
  • threefolddado
    June 30, 2008
    threefolddado
    More great Zatoichi action.

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Critic Reviews

Howard Thompson
May 10, 2005
Howard Thompson, New York Times

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