Year: 2003
Running Time: 116 minutes
Rated: R
SRP:$ 39.99
Studio(s): Miramax
Release Date: September 2009

Film/Feature: B+
This 2003 film is fine modernization of the cult-favorite television show, Zatoichi: The Blind Swordsman. Directed by and starring Takeshi Kitano (AKA Beat Takeshi), this sword-slashing tale brings up to speed the adventures of a blind masseur who nomadically travels through the small towns of Japan, gambles, and when provoked is the baddest ass samurai warrior. As a turf war breaks out in the country towns gangs rob the towns people of their money offering “protection,” Zatoichi slices through in glorious form.

The film balances laughs with the mesmerizing and poetic violence, building to a confrontation between Zatoichi and a ronin bodyguard, Hattori played wonderfully by Tadanobu Asano who never fails to impress me. Time has been taken to show the complexities of many characters, not just Zatoichi, and like real people, no one is a clear cut good or bad person, well except for the gang bosses. The ancillary characters of Aunt Oume (Michiyo Ookusu), Shinkichi (Gadarukanaru Taka), the geishas, (Daigoro Tachibana and Yuko Daike) and the gang bosses (Ittoku Kishibe, Saburo Ishikura, and Akira Emoto) add their own bit of flavor and spice to the broth that makes Zatoichi an overall savory experience.

There’s a speed and style of Japanese samurai films that is respected here, the action scenes are fast and deliberately patterned after the art of Bushido, but because of the new century, it’s nice to see Kitano trying unconventional processes. The most striking difference here is the silver retention method (see extras) and the CGI blood that’s used to exaggerate the splattering of blood. Something that Kitano understands about filmmaking is the grandness of it, the ability to do something that’s artistic and entertaining and there are quirky inclusions of a large musical tap dance number (a la STOMP) that’s so very odd, and yet so exhilarating and a palette cleanser at the same time.

I believe those who hold the television series to a high standard, and rightfully so, would enjoy this take on the classic Zatoichi character. It’s a clever little tale and a bookend companion if you have the original 26-part TV series on hand. Kitano earned the Golden Lion award in Venice (Best Director) and it was one of the most successful films of 2003 in Japan. Still, a mixture of modernization and traditional can meet with mixed reaction, but I make no apologies for enjoying Zatoichi again and again.

The Region 2 Blu-Ray, the colors subdued.

The Miramax color flood departure from Kitano's original vision.

Video: C+
The main reason we’re looking at this blu-ray is to see it in its new 1080p AVC-encoded transfer in its original 1.85:1 aspect ratio. On the surface everything looks great, colors are richer, deeper, and more saturated and that’s all fine and well, except that’s one thing that the filmmakers wanted to tone down. If you watch the extras, their intent is to soften the color palette, soften the blood color, and that’s just not seen here. It’s the exact opposite in fact, which is fine if you don’t know any better. There’s also a lot of edge enhancement work being done here, adjustment of brightness, halos, and the contrast is especially all over the board which makes the perception of depth less pronounced. It seems more like an effort supervised by Miramax than it is a version that would be approved by Kitano. I’m going to downgrade video every time when the film’s director wouldn’t approve of it.

For more in-depth explanation, visit this review on DVD Beaver with screen comparisons of the difference in transfers out there for Zatoichi.

Audio: B-
There’s a 5.1 English DTS-HD audio track but at first I refused to listen to it because it’s unbearable to hear a Japanese film spoken in English. But I did listen to the action scenes and the musical number at the end in the DTS-HD track and it is a much louder and in-your-face upgrade. There is the original Japanese 5.1 Dolby Digital track and it’s fine in and of itself, just not as exciting as the HD track, but I used that track to hear the dialogue. Why Disney/Miramax was a Japanese DTS-HD track not created? There’s a Spanish 2.0 Dolby Digital too and subtitles are available in English, English SDH, French, Spanish and what I think is Farsi.

Extras: C
These are the same extras that were on the previous DVD release, in standard definition. There are no blu-ray exclusives.

Behind the Scenes SD (39:55) is a meaty look into the weekly stages of principal shooting and how Takeshi Kitano makes a film. Kitano’s attention to detail and every aspect is admirable and his understanding of all of the other contributing forces shows what a great filmmaker he really is. As this behind-the-scenes drags on though it does waiver on the edge of brown-nosing Kitano, but all-in-all, worth your time.

Video Interviews SD (21:29) is four separate interviews with crew members who all had their own experience of sharing duties with Kitano. Katsumi Yanagishima (Cinematographer) speaks of perfect camera angles and trying to convince Kitano to use a silver retention method, ENR film processing, to soften the colors of the final appearance. This is important to watch to see where the video mark is supposed to be. Norihiro Isoda (production Designer who built all the set pieces like Oume’s house, Kazuko Kurosawa (Costume Supervisor) discusses her choice of material and how she distinguished different groups with specific colors, as well as the meaning behind those choices. Tatsumi Nikamoto (Master Swordsman) recalls working with Asano, and all the great ideas Kitano came up with when they coordinated the sword fights.

Overall Shock Value: C
It’s a good thing Zatoichi was blind, too bad he wasn’t deaf too. For fans of this film like me, it’s easy to see the poor decisions made by Miramax. The extreme effort to put the film to current “high def” standards in comparison to Region 2 blu-rays, really strays away from the original design of the film. I’m all for highly detailed, crystal clear films, but not at the expense of the filmmaker’s original vision. The upgrade to the DTS-HD track is great for a more resonance and louder effects, and if you like stupid dubbed tracks. I do like this film very much so if you’re getting it with the Miramax Ultimate Force of Four Collection, it’s worth the watch but I’m not getting rid of my DVD anytime soon.