The Tale of Zatoichi (1962)

The Tale of Zatoichi

Medium: Film
Director: Kenji Misumi
Released: April 18, 1962
First Consumed: April 5, 2012
Format: Hulu Plus stream (via PS3)
Rating: 8/10

My first entry into this new blog is quite a good one. Zatoichi is a classic Japanese hero with whom I've long been meaning to become acquainted. Though light on action until the end, the film cruises on Shintaro Katsu's brilliant performance in the title role. He effortlessly comes off as a charming, regular guy with a disability who just happens to wield incredible sword skills. Misumi provides a simple, focused direction, choosing not to get in the way of the performances. The film also features some wonderful sound design, successfully letting the audience experience Zatoichi's heightened senses.

Through the Criterion's VOD service on Hulu I hope to go through the first 16 entries into the Zatoichi canon.

So after abandoning a blog almost exactly a year ago, I make my return with a similar but hopefully more focused blog. I'll be providing capsule reviews in this format for all i watch, read and listen to.

And before anyone can notice, I'll go ahead and mention that this format is largely borrowed from the film journal of Simon Abrams. He is one of the absolute best film writers on the internet, and his blog is always a great read.