Zatōichi (2003 film)
| Zatoichi | |
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Japanese theatrical release poster
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| Directed by | Takeshi Kitano |
| Produced by |
Masayuki Mori Tsunehisa Saitō |
| Screenplay by | Takeshi Kitano |
| Story by | Kan Shimozawa (novel) |
| Starring |
Beat Takeshi Tadanobu Asano Yui Natsukawa |
| Music by | Keiichi Suzuki |
| Cinematography | Katsumi Yanagishima |
| Edited by | Takeshi Kitano Yoshinori Ōta |
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Production
company |
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| Distributed by |
Shochiku Office Kitano (JPN) Miramax Films (USA) |
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Release date
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Running time
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116 minutes |
| Country | Japan |
| Language | Japanese |
| Box office | $32,285,593 |
Zatoichi (座頭市 Zatōichi?) (released in the US as The Blind Swordsman: Zatoichi) is a 2003 Japanese samurai drama and action film, directed, written, co-edited, and starring Takeshi Kitano ("Beat" Takeshi) in the eleventh film he has directed. Kitano plays the role of the blind swordsman.
The film is a revival of the classic Zatoichi series of samurai film and television dramas. It premiered on September 3, 2003 at the Venice Film Festival, where it won the prestigious Silver Lion for Best Director award, and went on to numerous other awards both at home and abroad. It also stars Tadanobu Asano, Michiyo Okusu, Yui Natsukawa, Guadalcanal Taka, Daigoro Tachibana, Yuko Daike, Ittoku Kishibe, Saburo Ishikura, and Akira Emoto.
The film's plot follows a traditional theme, with Zatoichi (a blind swordsman) coming to the defense of townspeople caught up in a local yakuza gang war and being forced to pay excessive amounts of protection money. Meanwhile, Zatoichi befriends a local farmer and her gambler nephew and eventually offers his assistance to two geisha siblings (one of whom is actually a man) who are seeking revenge for the murder of their parents. The siblings are the only survivors of a robbery and massacre that was carried out on their family estate ten years ago. They soon discover the people responsible for the murders are the same yakuza wreaking havoc on the small town.
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Wikipedia