|
Zatoichi the Blind Swordsman, Vol. 2 - The Tale of Zatoichi ContinuesRating:
Release Date: 14 May, 2002 Retail Price: $19.95 OUR Price: $17.99 You SAVE: $1.96! Cast: |
Zatoichi the Blind Swordsman, Vol. 2 - The Tale of Zatoichi Continues Reviews
#2: A GOOD FOLLOW UP FROM THE FIRST FILM
This is the last black-and-white episode of the Zatoichi films. And like the first episode, we find the protagonist Zatoichi [Shintaro Katsu] returning to the scene of the first episode. Ichi has come to pay his respects to the Ronin, Hirate, whom Ichi did not wish to kill. Ichi's brother, Yoshiro, [Tomisaburo Wakayama] in both the film, and in true life, is in the episode. And as usual he is larger than life. The film starts off with the usual Ichi trademark of humor, which will become more pronounced as the episodes continue.
Yoshiro, the one-armed samurai is his brother: and his brother has a grudge with Ichi. At the same time, Yoshiro and his sidekick must elude the law, which have a bounty on his head.
Throughout the film Zatoichi gives off the nuances of humor which he will make a trademark of in regards to the character. As the episode begins, Ichi is asked to give a massage to the Lord to Edo, however, he discovers that the lord is a lunatic. The court retainers wish to keep this a secret, therefore, they attempt to kill Ichi because he has heard the antics of the Lord while giving him a massage. They don't yet realize who they are up against.
Zatoichi's reputation has not been cemented yet in this early installment, moreover, the action scenes in the second episode are limited in the beginning. Not so with the ending however, and as the film nears the end Zatoichi has begun to cement his reputation as a swordsman to be reckoned with. The cinematography is very good, and they will only get better as the Zatoichi saga continues. I do not wish to spoil the ending for you, but if you hang in there with the plot, you will see the beginnig stages of this magnificent swordsman. Highly recommended.
Katsu's real life brother(Lone Wolf and Cub) plays his foe
So obviously the acting could not get any better. But the story is the thing to watch. If you have not seen the first episode let me catch you up. Zatoichi came into town and was unsuccessfully hired to help take out a rival gang in town. One side had already hired a master samurai. When that samurai became sick the other gang thought they weren't going to fight. But he shook off his sickness for a final heroic stand and helped the gang he was hired from beat out the other one even though they were outnumbered by double the swordsman. But then the samurai decided that he must face Zatoichi before he dies. "Better than dying at teh hands of goons". I am horrible at quotes but it was something like that. And then the table were turned and the gang that had more men ended up winning. Also from thsi Zatoichi became known as like a one man army.
Well in this one he is back in town one year later to visit the grave and pay his respects to this samurai. The story starts out almost a bit dumb but you forgtet it and it turns good minutes in when Ichi starts some sh** talking and though justified, he may have gone too far. Well these people are not happy and decide to try and kill him. What follows is a VERY good story about another samurai who we find all about. Ichi ends up meeting this "samurai" and we find out the connection between the 2. The whole movie I was deciding whether or not this should be a 4 or a 5, but then the end happened. You don't f*** with Zaoichi or anybody who is close too him.
The DVD is amazing picture quality, even though it is in black and white. Also perfectly letterboxed and some of the best subtitles you will ever see traslated for asian cinema.
More Customer Reviews (10 total)
You like Zatoichi the Blind Swordsman, Vol. 2 - The Tale of Zatoichi Continues?
|
© 2004, 2005, 2006 DVD Booty | Don't Plunder Our Cache of Booty, Matey!
Hosting made possible by donations from Debt Consolidation Expert, Federal Student Loan Consolidation, and Payday Loans
