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Scene from Zatoichi: Darkness Is His Ally
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Zatoichi: Darkness Is His Ally (1989)

Zatoichi: Darkness Is His Ally (1989), directed by Shintarō Katsu, starring Shintarō Katsu and Kanako Higuchi.

02/04/1989 BR Action, Adventure and Drama 1h 56m

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Synopsis

Older, wiser but still a wandering loner, the blind, peace-loving masseur Ichi seeks a peaceful life in a rural village. When he's caught in the middle of a power struggle between two rival Yakuza clans, his reputation as a deadly defender of the innocent is put to the ultimate test in a series of sword-slashing showdowns.

  • 長沼六男Cinematography
  • Shintarō KatsuDirector, Producer, Screenplay
  • 谷口登司夫Editing
  • Masanori SanadaProducer

Zatoichi: A Série de Cinema

The franchise in release order. 26 films.

About the film

Zatôichi (Japanese: 座頭市), also known as Zatoichi: Darkness Is His Ally, Zatoichi: The Blind Swordsman and Shintaro Katsu's Zatoichi, is a 1989 Japanese Chambara film directed by and starring Shintaro Katsu, who also produced and co-wrote the screenplay. It is the twenty-sixth entry in a series of films featuring the blind swordsman Zatoichi, released 16 years after the twenty-fifth film in the series Zatoichi's Conspiracy (1973). The main character is based on a fictional character, a blind masseur and swordmaster created by novelist Kan Shimozawa and set during the late Edo period.

Zatoichi is the last film in the original classic saga of Zatoichi (1962–1989). It is also the second time Shintaro Katsu directed a Zatoichi film, and the last time Katsu played the title character on screen.

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Zatôichi (Japanese: 座頭市), also known as Zatoichi: Darkness Is His Ally, Zatoichi: The Blind Swordsman and Shintaro Katsu's Zatoichi, is a 1989 Japanese Chambara film directed by and starring Shintaro Katsu, who also produced and co-wrote the screenplay. It is the twenty-sixth entry in a series of films featuring the blind swordsman Zatoichi, released 16 years after the twenty-fifth film in the series Zatoichi's Conspiracy (1973). The main character is based on a fictional character, a blind masseur and swordmaster created by novelist Kan Shimozawa and set during the late Edo period.

Zatoichi is the last film in the original classic saga of Zatoichi (1962–1989). It is also the second time Shintaro Katsu directed a Zatoichi film, and the last time Katsu played the title character on screen.

Synopsis

After being released from a brief captivity in prison, an older Ichi continues his life of wandering. He befriends a Rōnin (a masterless samurai), and later decides to live in a village, which happens to be doomed and besieged by the unholy alliance of the Yakuza lord Boss Goemon with the mad and corrupt Inspector Hasshuu. After learning of the ominous fate of the villagers, Zatoichi throws himself once again into a fierce battle, facing both Goemon's army and the unnamed Ronin, who has been hired by Goemon to eliminate Zatoichi.

Cast

Shintaro Katsu ... Zatôichi/Ichi, a zatô in the Tôdô-za

Ken Ogata ... Rônin/Masterless samurai

Kanako Higuchi ... Boss Han Bosatsu/Ohan of the Bosatsu

Takanori Jinnai ... Inspector Hasshuu/Hanshu

Tsurutaro Kataoka ... Tsuru

Toyomi Kusano ... Ume

Ryûtarô Gan ... Boss Goemon (billed as Takehiro Okumura)

Keizō Kanie

Joe Yamanaka

Rikiya Yasuoka

Norihei Miki ... Zatoichi's friend

Yuya Uchida ... Boss Akabei

Production

The film was shot in a village (eiga-mura) located in the mountains of Kanami.

Controversy

On the morning of Monday 26 December 1988, Ryûtarô Gan (the eldest son of Shintarô Katsu), who played Boss Goemon, while on set shooting the film, stabbed and killed actor Yukio Katô in a tragic accident. Gan (who was 24 at the time) struck Katô (age 34) in the neck with a katana long sword, which was supposed to be a prop, while performing an action scene. Kato was taken unconscious to the Okayama University Hospital (Okayama Daigaku Igakubu Fuzoku-byôin), where he died as a result of massive blood loss from the neck wound. Hiroshima Prefectural Police determined that the incident was one of professional negligence causing death (gyômujô-kashitsu chishi). Ryûtarô Gan was accused of professional negligence and would later state in court that he did not know that the sword he used was a real one. A police investigation established the cause of death as "professional negligence".

Home media

A Blu-ray disc was released on August 28, 2018 by Tokyo Shock/Media Blasters. The A/V quality release is presented in its proper 1.85:1 theatrical aspect ratio, while the audio is Japanese 2.0 LPCM stereo (48 kHz/16 bit), with optional English subtitles are available. The only extras on the disc are both in low quality SD: they include the original video release trailer for the film and also "The Zatoichi Gallery: Video History of a Legend", which is an 11-minute video gallery of Japanese and international poster images, production stills, pressbooks, record covers, and the like spanning the entire history of the character. Both of these are carried over from the previous Media Blasters DVD release.

Legacy

Shintaro Katsu’s Zatoichi did not exactly resurrect its star's career, but it did redeem an almost lost decade for the actor and filmmaker. Katsu went on to co-star in Kazuo Kuroki’s mud-caked remake of the silent classic Roningai in 1990, which received a fair amount of critical notice and international festival exposure. Katsu's performance as the fading, overweight and inebriated ruffian Goemon the Bull was to be his final screen appearance before dying of throat cancer in 1997.

In his review for the 2018 Blu-ray release for The Digital Bits, Bill Hunt gave an overall positive assessment, also stating: "Zatoichi (1989) certainly isn't the best film in this series, as it repeats or echoes many scenes found in earlier films, the editing can be a little disjointed, and the story occasionally feels too much like a vanity project for Katsu. But the film does have its charms. In between episodes of carnage, Katsu's final turn as the Blind Swordsman offers moments of his characteristic humor, a bit of reflection, and his usual humanity".

References

Sources

External links

Zatoichi at IMDb

Text from Zatoichi (1989 film) on Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zatoichi_(1989_film)

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Preceded by

  • Zatoichi's Conspiracy

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What is Zatoichi: Darkness Is His Ally about?

Zatoichi: Darkness Is His Ally: Older, wiser but still a wandering loner, the blind, peace-loving masseur Ichi seeks a peaceful life in a rural village. When he's caught in the middle of a power struggle between two rival Yakuza clans, his reputation as a deadly defender of the innocent is put to the ultimate test in a series of sword-slashing showd…

Who directed Zatoichi: Darkness Is His Ally?

Zatoichi: Darkness Is His Ally was directed by Shintarō Katsu in 1989.

Who stars in Zatoichi: Darkness Is His Ally?

The cast of Zatoichi: Darkness Is His Ally includes Shintarō Katsu, Kanako Higuchi, Takanori Jinnai, Ryûtarô Gan and Yuya Uchida.

How long is Zatoichi: Darkness Is His Ally?

Zatoichi: Darkness Is His Ally runs for 116 minutes, or 1h56.

What is the correct order of the Zatoichi: A Série de Cinema films?

The Zatoichi: A Série de Cinema franchise has 26 films in the catalogue. In release order: O Conto de Zatoichi; O Conto de Zatoichi Continua; Novo Conto de Zatoichi; Zatoichi, o Fugitivo; Zatoichi, O Samurai; Zatoichi e o Baú de Ouro; Zatoichi e a Espada Brilhante; Lute Zatoichi, Lute..

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Scene from Zatoichi: Darkness Is His Ally