"Though The Tale of Zatoichi features a few exciting action sequences, this is more of a moody character study than an outright karate flick."

Good film.

Ichi is the man, and is hands down the best series of films of all time. With more that 20 sequels the only series to come close would be Godzilla but he can't claim the consistency this series had.

I will never forget this movie.

While staying as a guest in the home of a yakuza boss, Zatoichi is coerced into fighting in a gang war but ends up befriending the samurai he is supposed to kill. It's odd to see Shintaro Katsu looking so young, but the best elements of his character are already in place...the tricky gambling, the impish grin, and the lightning fast swordplay. It's actually a little short on fighting, but serves as a great introduction to the series.

Here's hoping this series picks it up, cause right not It's just an inferior Yojimbo with talent lacking everywhere.

Great film, and great introduction to the blind gambling swordsman. We get to learn about the blind masseur and what makes him so special, in this film. The characters are great, and the action is fun to watch. Shintaro Katsu would go on to play Zatoichi for a total of 27 films. This definitely worth watching for anyone interested in Japanese cinema.

It was a little slower than I expected. It spends a lot of time building up the character and the rivalry between the gangs, and very little on actual swordsmanship. The rivalry is boring but Zatoichi is an interesting character and that carries the film pretty far. There are some fun moments that don't lose any impact despite their predictability, and the general story arc is well done. I dunno, I liked it but it didn't seem all that special and doesn't give me much to write about.