just watch it!

Disturbing yet enthralling

Worth seeing just to witness how winsome it is.

Story: It's very simple but honestly that is fine.

Master Ichi finds out from a friendly sword-smith that his legendary blade has a weak point and thus, will break upon his next attack. This inspires him to give it up and attempt to live life on the straight and narrow. Of course, with all the evil men lurking about and terrorizing the locals, somebody eventually has to do something. And you know who that somebody is. There's not too much action for the first hour but when it comes, it's classic Zatoichi, meaning some of it must be rewound just to enjoy it a second time. Zatoichi's Cane Sword (#15) is one of the best in the 27-film series (and has some of the best bits of humor from Zatoichi, like the whole "duck dance" scene) and as such, I'd recommend it to both fans and non-fans alike. And in case no one knew, Katsu Shintarô rocks.

This entry in the Zatoichi series has been reviewed extensively at IMDb for good reason. If you have grown to admire Zatoichi and enjoyed earlier films in the series, you are sure to love Zatoichi Tekka Tabi. If you are a fan of samurai films with a lot of action and spurting blood, then you will lose patience with this film. Warning for the before-mentioned samurai film fans; Zatoichi doesn't make his first kill until the 77th minute!All of the most interesting scenes have been described by others. There is a great variety of scenes and Katsu Shintaro is at his best. I do have to mention the Duck Song scene. It is absolutely devastating. It's a short little song and dance performed by Zatoichi that blasts the boss who is hosting the party. Zatoichi finishes his song, waits, and doesn't hear any applause. The audience is stunned by his audacity. The scene continues with fabulous dialog between the boss and Zatoichi. It's pure gold.The film eventually does take the viewer into familiar territory and by now you should know what to expect. The cinematography of Zatoichi entering the town holding an umbrella under falling snow is one of my favorite images from the series. If you are looking to add to your Zatoichi DVD collection, this one is a no-brainer. It's terrific stuff served up by Katsu at his best.

In the beginning of this installment of the Zatoichi series, Zatoichi comes across a dying man, who only gives his name, before he dies. Zatoichi then accidentally kills a raven, which he says is a bad omen for things to come. Unfortunately, almost an hour of the movie goes by before these events are revisited. What the viewer sees in the meantime is a lot of plot about how Zatoichi is weary of his lifestyle and that his cane sword's useful life is coming to an end (the cane sword is not a walking cane with a mini blade hidden at the end, like the westerner that I am thought it would be, it is just a walking stick that serves as a sheath for the sword). Once all that is done, then the typical Zatoichi film begins. There is a town in fear of an evil mob boss (who is more fleshed out than in the other films), a young woman in trouble and a huge battle at the end which features a nifty scene with a barrel. The last 40 minutes of this film rank up there with the best of the other Zatoichi films but it's the hour before that sinks this film.

This is one of the best Zatoichi movies. The action is superb, and Zatoichi shows more emotion in this film than most. You learn some of the history behind his sword, and he even gets a new one. I highly recommend it!