the audience applauded

I like Black Panther, but I didn't like this movie.

The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

Strong acting helps the film overcome an uncertain premise and create characters that hold our attention absolutely.

This one is by far my favorite Zatoichi film so far! Director Kazuo Ikehiro from the previous film makes a delightful immediate comeback and peppers the movie with more lovely stylishness, but without forgetting to care about the storyline. Zatoichi's Flashing Sword has a wonderfully entertaining and easy-to- follow plot, without any filler and without complicating the ordeal with continuity follies. This is a straight-edge short adventure tale loaded with badassery (and fireworks!) and it even has more humor than Zatoichi films usually do. The only two things I'm not that fond of is the abrupt ending and the remark by one of the characters that every time tenth firework to go off is special. I don't really know what was the point of stressing that plot-point, but as long as there are underwater sword- fighting scenes to keep me occupied, I'm game. There's also a fantastic cold opening where Zatoichi shows his might by bisecting some pesky flies (this was later homage'd in an Usagi Yojimbo comic issue), the "The End" symbol starting to resemble the letter "Z" (like Zorro! Oh wait...) and of course, Shintaro Katsu's priceless portrayal of Zatoichi, who manages to be very gentle, kind and lovable considering that in this movie alone, he kills more people than Stalin, Hitler and Mao together, especially during the final 15 minutes during his "Angel of Death" mode.Even the cinematography in this film is top notch, and far more memorable than in the previous installments. Everything is colored in those lovely, warm shades of orange (which remind me of Hideo Gosha's movie Hitokiri, also with Shintaro Katsu), and some shots are truly awesome, like the very one that opens the movie. Highlight of the film: that'd have to be the incredibly awesome final battle of Zatoichi vs. a band of nameless thugs and their stuttering leader. The badassery is unhandle-able!

This is a solid entry in the series. It's true that there is little action until the closing minutes, but when the dam breaks, it breaks big!I very much appreciated the portrayal of the two bosses. In many Zatoichi films all bosses are equally bad and sometimes disgusting in their greed and avarice. In this film Zatoichi winds up in the house of boss Bunkichi. Bunkichi turns out to be the real deal. He avoids confrontation, does not exploit the locals, and even puts on a fireworks display during O-Bon (summer festival). Zatoichi respects Bunkichi's household and the values they stand for.In contract, the boss on the other side of the river is Yasugoro. The actor who plays Yasugoro shows up in many of the films in the series. Here he does a great job as the bad guy, strutting around when he is safe and stuttering with nervousness whenever things get rough.And while the fireworks go off overhead, Zatoichi crosses the river to make Yasugoro pay for his crimes. The lighting in the last fight scene is menacing. Ichi wreaks bloody vengeance in a systematic and frightening manner. As the last firework explodes overhead, Zatoichi delivers the final devastating blow.

The title of this one should be Zatoichi Kills a Bunch of Guys. There's little subtlety in this one. None of the things that made the series great are in this flick at all. If you've seen every other Ichi movie, then, perhaps you should see this one for closure, but, wait until you get to that bridge.

Not one of the highlights of the series, Zatoichi's Flashing Sword simply doesn't display enough of Ichi's skills. There's very little action and what there is is brief. The story itself feels padded out, even at a brisk 82 minutes, and one gets the feeling Daiei was simply trying to turn out as many films as possible to capitalise on the character's popularity. It's not bad, merely disappointing.