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Zatoichi

Play trailer Poster for Zatoichi R 2004 1h 55m Action Adventure Play Trailer Watchlist
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87% Tomatometer 123 Reviews 88% Popcornmeter 25,000+ Ratings
Blind traveler Zatoichi is a master swordsman and a masseur with a fondness for gambling on dice games. When he arrives in a village torn apart by warring gangs, he sets out to protect the townspeople. He is also enlisted to help two sibling geisha, Okinu and Osei, avenge the murder of their parents, who were slaughtered in a massacre. Zatoichi must fight his way through numerous enemies before finally clashing with a heartless crime boss.

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Zatoichi

Zatoichi

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Critics Consensus

Colorful, rich with action and wonderfully choreographed, Takeshi Kitano takes on the classic samurai character with his own brand of cinematic flair.

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Critics Reviews

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Antonia Quirke London Evening Standard 12/20/2017
This film is a shebang, a full-scale show, complete with everything you would happily pay to see: costumes, tattoos, scratchy folk music, gambling in saki dens. You will eat it up. Go to Full Review Christy Lemire Associated Press 05/27/2011
The Blind Swordsman: Zatoichi begins life as a straight-up samurai movie, evolves into a slapstick comedy and ends as a rousing, tap-dancing musical. Go to Full Review Nell Minow Common Sense Media 12/28/2010
3/5
This non-traditional samurai movie isn't for kids. Go to Full Review Bryant Frazer Bryant Frazer's Deep Focus 08/13/2020
B+
A gorgeous and evocative piece of entertainment that takes a deliberately playful approach to its genre. Go to Full Review Dorothy Woodend The Tyee (British Columbia) 08/24/2017
If you're looking for a real hero you could really do no better than Takeshi Kitano's blind masseur, Zatoichi. Go to Full Review Ryan Cracknell Movie Views 09/27/2009
Violent and bloody, carefully choreographed and filled with dry humor, Takeshi Kitano's modern take on the classic Japanese character is a unique vision that's told with confidence. Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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M B @Timbero 03/13/2025 Excellent, well constructed and faithful revival of the character and the genre. Careful build up of the other characters and plot result in a satisfying watch with some ruthless action! See more Joel P @autumn1015 03/17/2022 A samurai movie should not have CGI, or, in this case, unconvincing CGI. Classic or vintage special effects would have made this movie better. Bad special effects are a distraction. See more justin t @RT08580778 02/15/2022 There was lots of CGI blood flying around, would have preferred real fake blood. The story was confusing but the bits of it that I understood were really good and interesting. The ending was full of stuff happening. For all of the blood there wasn't much violence like people heads being ripped apart and the like. Worth watching and enjoyable fantasy film full of culture, that needs concentration. I love the musical montage bits and they actually fit into the story and the world. Fantastic film with brilliant characters and wonderful musical interludes... also blood! See more william d @acsdoug 12/19/2021 The story is a typical "samurai comes to town, fights bad guys and saves villagers." The gimmick here is the samurai is blind. That's not enough to salvage the rambling plot or excuse the incredibly bad special effects, particularly the CGI blood splatters. See more s r @ScottR 03/29/2021 A bizarre one to say the least. It was almost good, but then it just couldn't decide what kind of film it was. The whole drum tap dance scene at the end just threw me for a loop. Coming back to the main story, it had a good premise and development, but then it ended hollowly, almost like a TV movie. The CGI swords and gore was comical. It was on paramount and I'm not sure why the rating were so high. See more 12/29/2020 Incredibly funny as well as quite dark film. Must see for everyone, even it looks quite old still it manage to captivate. The ending is just a MUST SEE. See more Read all reviews
Zatoichi

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Cast & Crew

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Takeshi Kitano

Director

Takeshi Kitano

Zatôichi

Tadanobu Asano

Gennosuke Hattori

Michiyo Ohkusu

Aunt Oume

Yui Natsukawa

O-Shino

Yûko Daike

Geisha Okinu Naruto
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Zatoichi

Zatoichi (2003) Zatoichi (2003) View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis Blind traveler Zatoichi is a master swordsman and a masseur with a fondness for gambling on dice games. When he arrives in a village torn apart by warring gangs, he sets out to protect the townspeople. He is also enlisted to help two sibling geisha, Okinu and Osei, avenge the murder of their parents, who were slaughtered in a massacre. Zatoichi must fight his way through numerous enemies before finally clashing with a heartless crime boss.
Director
Takeshi Kitano
Producer
Masayuki Mori, Takio Yoshida
Screenwriter
Takeshi Kitano
Distributor
Miramax Films
Production Co
Bandai Visual Co. Ltd., Asahi National Broadcasting Company
Rating
R
Genre
Action, Adventure
Original Language
Japanese
Release Date (Theaters)
Jul 23, 2004, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
Oct 8, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA)
$853.7K
Runtime
1h 55m
Sound Mix
Surround