BoardChiri Bad Acting and worse Bad Screenplay

Nessieldwi Very interesting film. Was caught on the premise when seeing the trailer but unsure as to what the outcome would be for the showing. As it turns out, it was a very good film.

GarnettTeenage The film was still a fun one that will make you laugh and have you leaving the theater feeling like you just stole something valuable and got away with it.

Allison Davies The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

bletcherstonerson Yes, I am probably the only viewer that did not like this film, and for one reason...superman jumping ability. I hate that effect. When I see this in films trying to be gritty, it evokes such puerile rage that I feel like burning the world down. Seriously...it's a stupid film effect, used in this movie when the one armed swordsman flies up in the trees, and up the mountain side, one time he does it with a young child in tow, AMAZING!!!!! The reason I kept this at a 5, reasoning that it is still a Zatoichi movie, and that element is still great , however viewers are used to better films than this. I also am a believer that you can't throw the baby out with the bath water. Most of this film is likable, but the descent into cinematic laziness with the super jumping is ridiculous and turns a good story line of disconnected cultures and languages into a Saturday morning cartoon. Don't get me wrong, there are great performances in this movie, and if I were a viewer that could bypass the Chinese art of flying , then I would give this film a 9. Still, it is worth watching and renting, but I would avoid shelling out 19.99, the lowest price I have seen..to own it, no matter how rare.

chriscoates One of the more accessible films in the series due to its simpler story (two heroes ally themselves against an evil but then find themselves on different sides due to a mis-understanding). Though the Zatoichi films often vary in style and in tone, the themes (treat others as you would wish to be treated, be true to your word, gamble within your means, etc), remain constant. Here, the language barrier between Zatoichi and The One-Armed Swordsman (one is Chinese, the other Japanese), is a theme that will have had a greater resonance for its native audience rather than those in the west, but the story works well just as a straight-forward adventure yarn. Shintarô Katsu is as reliably great as ever. By turns dynamic and exacting with the sword, warm of heart with the just and needy, steely and unmerciful of the greedy and vindictive. Zatoichi is one of the great movie heroes. Shintarô Katsu, one of the great heroic actors. If you haven't seen these films then you could do worse than start here.

Tom (bighouseaz) Katsu's sword work is very good in this film. This is especially true in the scene where he rescues one of the characters on the road and also in the fights he has against the boss's minions. Katsu's sword work is especially tight, direct, and brutal.But most viewers will be more interested in the meeting of two cinema worlds, Chinese kung fu meets Japanese chambara. The story can be seen as being very symbolic if you think of the complex and tragic recent history between Japan and China. Zatoichi and Yasuda (the director) could be making a political and/or cultural statement here. In this story a Chinese man is good, a Japanese priest is very bad, and the Shogun's laws are shown to be absolutely absurd. In the end, the confrontation between Zatoichi and Wang comes about because of a series of misunderstandings caused by their inability to communicate with one another. The real tragedy in this tale is that Zatoichi and Wang have very similar characters. They are both honorable men who defend the weak and the poor against the strong and the wealthy. It's a tragedy that they end up confronting one another.I have heard that there is an alternative version of the film with a different ending. I can imagine how it would end, but would very much like to see it. Hopefully someday it will become available.There is some good action in this entry in the series by both Katsu Shintaro and Jimmy Wang. Zatoichi Meets the One Armed Swordsman is good entertainment for the fan of martial arts films.

masercot I haven't seen a bad Zatoichi movie yet!This movie has the standard lost child and yakuza; however, it also has a conflict between two forces of good. It's very frustrating for those of us who like black and white battles. It also humanizes the characters (as if Zatoichi could be more humanized).No spoilers here. If you've enjoyed other Zatoichi's, you won't be disappointed by this one.