Movielogr
Zatoichi Meets Yojimbo (1970)
Directed by Kihachi Okamoto
Twitter Facebook Google+Overview
Zatoichi treks to a village that has always been a favorite spot of his, only to discover that it’s become a living hell, plagued by feuding father and son yakuza as well as the younger crime boss’s bodyguard, scruffy, smart-mouthed, cash-hungry Yojimbo of legend.
Length 115 minutes
Actors
Shintarō Katsu | Toshirō Mifune | Ayako Wakao | Osamu Takizawa | Masakane Yonekura | Shin Kishida | Kanjûrô Arashi | Toshiyuki Hosokawa | Shigeru Kôyama | Hideo Sunazuka | Daigo Kusano | Fujio Tokita | Gen Kimura | Hiroshi Tanaka | Hiroto Kimura | Ryutaro Itsumi | Yûji Hamada | Kazu Echikawa | Gen Kuroki | Junshiro Araseki | Yoko Netsuda | Minori Terada
Viewing History (seen 1 time)
| Date Viewed | Device | Format | Source | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 04/04/2013 | TV | DVD | Library | 7 stars |
| (Average) 7 stars |
Viewing Notes
Zatoichi is really like the Sherlock Holmes of Japan. Or Charlie Chan. Or a mix of those. These later films seem more like novelties to keep the series of films going basically as a cash-grab for Daiei that was facing hard times entering the 70s, IIRC.
This is worthwhile entry simply to see Mifune and Shintaro Katsu mix it up on screen. The story is a little bland as our two “heroes” get caught up in a small town mystery of hidden gold and crooked officials governing the town. At some point I should probably do a Zatoichi project since I’ve only seen a couple of the films and that was a long time ago.
Crazy that there are 26 films in the series!
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