Zatôichi (The Blind Swordsman: Zatoichi) (2003)
90%RT Audience Score: 88%
Awards & Nominations: 24 wins & 16 nominations
Colorful, rich with action and wonderfully choreographed, Takeshi Kitano takes on the classic samurai character with his own brand of cinematic flair.
Zatoichi is a wild ride that takes you from samurai battles to tap-dancing musical numbers. It’s a mix-and-match crowd-pleaser that somehow works, and it’s definitely not for kids. But if you’re looking for a hero, you can’t do much better than Takeshi Kitano’s blind masseur. The violence is bloody, but it’s also beautiful and funny. And let’s be real, who doesn’t love scratchy folk music and gambling in saki dens? This movie has it all, and it’s a shebang that you won’t want to miss.
Production Company(ies)
BRON Studios, Bron Creative MACRO
Distributor
Miramax Films
Release Type
Filming Location(s)
Eiga-mura, Kanami, Kanae-chô, Fukuyama City, Hiroshima, Japan
MPAA / Certificate
Rated R for strong stylized bloody violence
Year of Release
2003
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Dolby Digital
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Aspect ratio:1.85 : 1
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Runtime:1h 55m
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Language(s):Japanese
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Jul 23, 2004 Original
Release Date (Streaming): Sep 15, 2009
Genre(s)
Action/Adventure
Keyword(s)
starring Beat Takeshi, Tadanobu Asano, Michiyo Ohkusu, Yui Natsukawa, Yûko Daike, Saburô Ishikura, directed by
Worldwide gross: $34,196,922
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $55,428,825
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,280
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 6,044,583
US/Canada gross: $1,118,163
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $1,812,399
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,058
US/Canada opening weekend: $61,104
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $99,042
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,937
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): NA
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): NA
Production budget ranking: NA
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
ROI to date (est.): NA
ROI ranking: NA
Tadanobu Asano – Gennosuke Hattori
Michiyo Ohkusu – Aunt Oume
Yui Natsukawa – O-Shino
Yûko Daike – Geisha Okinu Naruto
Saburô Ishikura – Boss Tashichi Ogi
Director(s)
Takeshi Kitano
Writer(s)
Kitano Takeshi
Producer(s)
Masayuki Mori, Takio Yoshida
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
24 wins & 16 nominations
Academy Awards
All Critics (127) | Top Critics (44) | Fresh (110) | Rotten (17)
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.
December 20, 2017
Antonia Quirke
London Evening Standard
TOP CRITIC
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.
May 27, 2011
Christy Lemire
Associated Press
TOP CRITIC
This non-traditional samurai movie isn’t for kids.
December 28, 2010 | Rating: 3/5
Nell Minow
Common Sense Media
TOP CRITIC
Zatoichi is a mix-and-match crowd-pleaser that shouldn’t add up, but delightfully does.
November 1, 2007
David Ansen
Newsweek
TOP CRITIC
However improbably, Kitano pulls it off quite gloriously. Admittedly, this isn’t one of his most idiosyncratic, innovative or, indeed, satisfying works, but it’s without doubt fast, funny, fabulous to behold.
February 9, 2006
Geoff Andrew
Time Out
TOP CRITIC
For those unfamiliar with such films, Zatoichi might be a little off-putting. But given a chance, the movie can be pretty entertaining.
September 30, 2004 | Rating: 3.5/5
Bill Muller
Arizona Republic
TOP CRITIC
A gorgeous and evocative piece of entertainment that takes a deliberately playful approach to its genre.
August 13, 2020 | Rating: B+
Bryant Frazer
Bryant Frazer’s Deep Focus
If you’re looking for a real hero you could really do no better than Takeshi Kitano’s blind masseur, Zatoichi.
August 24, 2017
Dorothy Woodend
The Tyee (British Columbia)
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.
September 27, 2009
Ryan Cracknell
Movie Views
Zatoichi is a bloody film that also manages to be beautiful and funny.
September 22, 2009 | Rating: 8/10
James Plath
Movie Metropolis
Three-frame cuts of the action from multiple camera angles, hose-spurted blood and superimposed wounds do what they can in their primitive way to get you past the problem of improbability.
September 17, 2009 | Rating: 2.5/5
Jules Brenner
Cinema Signals
Seen now, sans all the hype and hoopla)…we can gauge Kitano’s production for what it truly is – a compelling and quite complex bit of fractured folklore.
September 17, 2009 | Rating: 3.5/5
Bill Gibron
PopMatters…
Plot
Blind Zatoichi makes his living by gambling and giving massages. But behind his humble facade, Zatoichi is a master swordsman, gifted with lightning-fast draw and strokes of breathtaking precision. Zatoichi wanders into a town run by sinister gangs and a powerful samurai. He’s destined for violent showdowns when he stumbles on two beautiful geishas avenging their parents’ murder… Duels, wit and a touch of zen! Cult anti-hero Zatoichi is back in a sword-fighting adventure written, directed and starring Takeshi Kitano.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
Takeshi Kitano, the director and star of Zatoichi, is a well-known comedian in Japan, which explains the film’s humorous moments.
Takeshi-Kitano.jpg
