Reptileenbu Did you people see the same film I saw?

Brennan Camacho Mostly, the movie is committed to the value of a good time.

Freeman This film is so real. It treats its characters with so much care and sensitivity.

Guillelmina The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

kluseba Zatoichi and the Chess Expert is the twelfth entry in the franchise and one of the best movies about the blind masseur, skilled gambler and skillful swordsman. The story of this film is unusually clever, complex and twisted. Zatoichi meets a smart chess player while traveling on a ship and the two end up respecting one another so much that they start traveling together. When Zatoichi is attacked by some folks whom he tricked during a dice game on the ship, a young girl traveling with a beautiful woman gets injured, so Zatoichi organizes some medicine and travels with the two as he grows fond of the joyful child. Zatoichi also encounters a sick man and his sister who is disguised as a man to avoid trouble on the road who travel with a helpful retainer who gets brutally murdered during a prayer. Soon enough, these three seemingly different story lines end up being connected in most surprising ways as Zatoichi needs to figure out who is friend and who is foe.What I really liked about this film is the complex story with its numerous clever twists. The characters also have great depth. Even Zatoichi seems more emotional than usual as he opens up about the love of his life and his low self-esteem while being caring, helpful and respectful to those who need his help. The perfectly portrayed chess expert is hard to figure out because of his harsh convictions versus his impressive intelligence. The young woman Zatoichi travels with falls in love with the blind samurai and is at times desperate and at other times joyful about their complicated relationship. Her child is quirky but polite and its heart-warming to see how the girl and Zatoichi grow fond of one another. The sick man, his mysterious sister and his helpful retainer are also quite intriguing characters. This movie is more than just a classic chambara film and also a drama for all the complex relationships going on and a thriller because of the cruel murder of the retainer. The movie's atmosphere gets more and more mysterious throughout the nicely paced film. The landscapes are memorable, gorgeous and authentic, especially the port and ship in the beginning of the film and the modest inn with the hot springs that plays a central role in this film. The fight scenes are more vivid than in the preceding film. Most sword fights occur at the beginning and in the final five minutes but they are nicely choreographed. My favorite fight scene was when Zatoichi got ambushed in the middle of the night in the muddy meadows while carrying the expensive medicine for the sick child.There really isn't much to criticize regarding one of the franchise's very best films. Obviously, there are some recurring elements in the movie such as numerous gambling scenes, traditional sword fights and Zatoichi traveling through rural landscapes but these predictable elements give each film about the blind masseur their very own identity.If you like sword fighting movies or care for Japanese culture, history and nature, you will particularly like Zatoichi and the Chess Expert. You an learns more about Japan in one hour and a half here than you could by watching anime for a whole year. Since this is one of the most profound entries in the franchise, this movie would be recommendable to get to know a true piece of Japanese art.

MartinHafer Towards the beginning of the film, you have a scene that was often (too often) repeated in this series of films. It's very clever and funny, but was used in at least three different film--possibly more. It's where Ichi is the dealer with dice and "accidentally" drops dice out of the cup again and again--so the other gamblers know whether it will be odds or evens. However, using this ploy, he is able to film-flam the other gamblers by eventually dropping a much larger bet--at which time he springs his little surprise for them. Cute, but way overdone.As a result of Ichi's gambling, a certain family is angry and set out to teach Zatoichi a lesson. In a tough scene to watch, they try to break his fingers. However, Ichi escapes and in a chaotic scuffle, he starts breaking their fingers again and again. While all this seems pretty funny, the end result is that an innocent and adorable little girl is accidentally stabbed in the foot. Tetanus sets in and unless she gets medicine, she will die. Of course, despite the cost, the good Ichi promises to somehow get the medicine and save the child.Along the way, Ichi strikes up a friendship with a rather fierce ronin (a master-less samurai) who loves to play chess. Despite being a very tough character, he promises to go along with Zatoichi to protect him--mostly because this warrior is very taken with Ichi. Well, once again, Ichi does the same gambling bit he did at the beginning of the film, though things don't work out exactly the same. So, instead of a big haul, he and the ronin hit on another moneymaking plan. Thanks to their efforts, the medicine is obtained and the child quickly recovers.Ichi accompanies the lady with the child to a nearby hot spring known for its curative powers. Now the child refers to Ichi as "Uncle" and he learns that the lady is not the child's mother but a relative who has taken in the child after the death of her parents. The lady also begins to show more than just casual interest in Ichi--after all, he's awfully lovable and women in quite a few films have tried to marry him. But, like Spiderman, he knows he can't settle down, as his lifestyle and idiots seeking him out for revenge make for a miserable and very short life for any woman. In addition, the woman holds on to a secret--something she only reveals to Ichi near the end of the movie.At the spring, there are also two main characters who are introduced--a sickly young man and his sister who has traveled dressed like a man in order to come meet him. However, this plot point is kind of silly, as Kume is an exceptionally beautiful lady. Sure, she has her hair up in a ponytail like some men, but she is just too pretty to be mistaken for a man--even by Ichi! For some time you have no idea what they are up to, but Ichi knows it's something. After their servant is murdered, the young man divulges to Ichi that they have been tracking a samurai who murdered their father over a chess game and the servant was the only one who could identify the murderer. The young man assumes that now there is no way to find the killer, but Ichi realizes this sounds a lot like his new friend, the ronin.Overall, this is one of the better Zatoichi films despite the repetitive gambling scenes. That's because the plot is very complex, relationships are stressed over the action scenes and there is no usual "boss battle" at the end of the film. Sure, there are a couple serious fights, but not the usual type nor does the film end exactly as you might assume. Very good stuff, here.

Tom (bighouseaz) The year is now 1965 and this is the twelfth entry in the Zatoichi series. Far from being stale, Zatoichi and the Chess Master heralds the start of a three film run of some of the best the series has to offer. Katsu Shintaro is now fully adept in his role as Zatoichi and director Misumi Kenji does an excellent job with the material. The story is full of surprises and little twists and turns. Some people compare Zatoichi to Columbo, and it's easy to see why here.There is not a great deal of fighting in the film, but there is suspense and great character development. Two scenes are especially moving. First, when the little girl (Miki) is cured thanks to the medicine that Zatoichi procures at great danger to himself. Miki thanks Zatoichi, and Zatoichi is all choked up. All he can do is run out of the room, full of emotion, and truly blind. He runs head first into a wooden pole, stops, and pounds his head into the pole a few more times. The second memorable scene is the scene where the Chess Master (Jumonji) begins to believe that Zatoichi has the crime figured out. Zatoichi leaves the room, the two are only separated by a thin shoji screen. Jumonji slowly grabs for the hilt of his sword. On the other side of the screen, Zatoichi stands completely still, his hand moves towards the hilt of his sword. A tense moment ensues before Jumonji relaxes and so do we all! Zatoichi feels the Force. Now he probably passes his time practicing with Yoda somewhere far, far away.

zetes There's little to recommend about this cheaply made samurai film. The films of this genre boast great patience, but within that patience there ought to be at least a few good samurai battles. There are only two real battles in this one. The first one has a neat setting, but it takes place during the night and it is so dark that it is difficult to see anything. The climactic battle, which is actually two consecutive battles, is very good but nothing compared to those in much more well known samurai flicks. The editing of the film is consistently poor and reduces the effectiveness of many of its scenes. This movie is only 90 minutes long, but it feels as long as The Seven Samurai. 5/10.