I don't know if the young actor they chose for the role of Ichi is the right one or not, by I sure as hell will see this movie, for the villain is no less than the legendary Tatsuya Nakadai !
Strange when I think that the final showdown in my favourite Zatoichi episode, Kenji Misumi's ''Zatoichi and the Festival of Fire'', made 40 years ago, is also featuring Mr. Nakadai as Shintaro Katsu's nemesis. This samurai is indestructible !
I'm also not sure about the main actor. I saw Shingo Katori in some doramas and I quite doubt that he is the right man for Zatoichi part. He's too sweet and feminine. I think Takashi Sorimachi (the famous GTO) that plays a friend of Ichi here is a much more suitable choice.
It's great news that legendary Tatsuya Nakadai (the best actor in History of Japan Cinema in my opinion) is taking part in this project. It can't be missed!
« It's great news that legendary Tatsuya Nakadai (the best actor in History of Japan Cinema in my opinion) is taking part in this project. It can't be missed! »
Well, not only in the history of Japan cinema, Kawada-san ! I wonder if I have ever seen in my life any other screen chameleon that could match this one. Gian Maria Volontè maybe ? Or Alec Guinness ?
I must admit I'm short on superlatives to qualify his magic. If Toshiro Mifune was the « man of steel » of Japanese cinema, then Tatsuya Nakadai is the ultimate « man of mercury ».
Nakadai Tatsuya will play the villain? OK, I'll have to see it!!!
Nakadai is not only one of the greatest actors in Japan, he is one of the greatest in the world!
"Namu-myoho-renge-kyo"
There's a lot of hate for this movie, and I can understand people having a hard time with a gritty realistic blind swordsman, and the problematic love interest, but there are some good bits in it. EG Tatsuya-san gets two magnificent scenes, firstly as a terrifying oyabun and then his last scene. And Zatoichi gets his gambling scene, where he catches out the cheater. Nothing really wrong with the swordplay either, which follows Takeshi-san's reinvention of Zatoichi's sword style as brief and furious fights rather than Shintaro-san's endless slash and parry style. In general the film follows the standard Ichi plot of double and triple cross, and any fan won't find it too hard to follow. But yeah, the love interest will befuddle many, and the de-James-Bonding (un-Superman-ing?) of Ichi to a fallible human has clearly infuriated most of the commenters here.
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