Project-Blu The Blind Swordsman: Zatoichi, by M. Enois Duarte

The Blind Swordsman: Zatoichi
Zatôichi

By: M. Enois Duarte, 9.30.2009

The Movie Itself:
The Blind Swordsman: Zatoichi is the 27th installment in Japan's longest running series of samurai films. Set in the Edo period, each chapter follows a different adventure in the life of a wandering blind man named Zatoichi. He depends, to a certain extent, on the kindness of strangers to help him, makes his living as a masseur, and has a fondness for gambling. As he travels from one town to the next, he becomes inadvertently involved with the troubles and injustices which plague those towns. This seemingly vulnerable and feeble old man, as it turns out, is a highly-skilled and intelligent swordsman with heightened senses. Zatoichi is sort of like the Clint Eastwood character with no name from so many westerns or a one-man A-Team. Only, instead of a gun or lots of explosions, he's a quick-draw of his cane sword.

Nearly fifteen years later since the last feature-length episode, Takeshi Kitano directs his eleventh film in this renewal of the classic series. Kitano also stars as the unusual and unlikely hero of the underclass and underprivileged. We go through the same motion as in the other movies, learning of his skill with the sword in minor confrontations and a demonstration of his finely tuned senses, as in the scene when he hears dice being switched. Familiarity with the character or previous films is not a prerequisite, as Kitano makes everything quite clear and works at revitalizing the series for a new generation of moviegoers. If all this sounds rather mechanical, it's because the script itself is also moderately routine and habitual. There is very little sense of thinking outside of the Zatoichi universe, unless it's all intentional.

This is not to imply that the film is bad or anything; far from it. But the one minor problem lies in the fact that for those followers of the series there is little originality to appreciate here. Zatoichi comes to the aid of townspeople forced in the middle of a Yakuza war and unveils the bosses behind it all. Outside of Kitano's strong direction and style, much of what is seen on screen feels like a summary of all the hero's previous exploits. Well, except for that one time when Ichi fought with two swords in Zatoichi and the Doomed Man. That was pretty cool, and never seems mentioned or used as so much else is in Kitano's version. Those discovering Zatoichi's adventures for the first time may find the film appealing, but for everyone else, the plot is an exercise of a legend.

One nice addition, however, is Hattori, a ronin turned bodyguard and a greatly skilled adversary for the blind masseuse. We're given inklings of his origins and made to wonder about the situation with his wife. Sadly, it all ends too quickly and almost wish more could have been explored. Along with the geisha siblings' subplot, this keeps the story moving and engaging. Script-wise, there is more Kitano could have done to add to the legendary film hero. But his skills behind the camera are unquestionable and proves to be one of his better efforts, prior to the excellent Glory to the Filmmaker! In the end, the film is a fairly good chapter to the series, but a bit underwhelming as well. If you have a sudden urge for a samurai film, you can do worse than Kitano's The Blind Swordsman.
Rating: 7/10

The Presentation:
On DVD, the picture quality of Zatoichi offers a fine picture quality with only a few minor issues. Coming to Blu-ray for the first time, the film isn't a leaps-and-bounds difference and not much better than if the DVD were upconverted. The AVC-encoded transfer, in its original 1.85:1 aspect ratio, arrives much softer than expected, with many poorly resolved interiors, and showing evidence of the use of edge enhancement. Film grain can be distractingly problematic, as it appears heavier in nighttime and indoor sequences. Brightness levels are somewhat stable, but it's one of the weaker presentations we've seen and falls on the lower end of the grayscale. Shadows come off too deep, causing many details to disappear in the murk. Contrast is comfortably bright for the most part, but there are times when it's a bit too strong. One such scene halfway into the film shows flashes of lightning bounce off the faces of actors way too hot and creating white-washing.

Fortunately, the image is not a complete disaster, as there several instances, particularly daylight sequences, where it looks quite excellent and nicely defined. Most notable scene involves Zatoichi confronting an entire group of armed men whilst swinging swords in the rain. Colors are also a bit more impressive, displaying a richer palette than in previous video presentations, despite not being accurate to the film's original photography. Overall, the improvements from its standard definition equivalent are readily available in this hi-def version, but it doesn't compare to the best catalog releases we've seen since the format's inception.
Rating: 5.2/10

Now, here's something to ponder on for a while. Much like the other titles in the "Ultimate Force of Four" pack, Zatoichi blindly rides onto the Blu-ray format with only one lossless audio option. And it's for the English dubbed version!! While the native Japanese-language track is handled by the legacy Dolby Digital codec, the faux pas of all faux pas is given the DTS-HD Master Audio treatment. Unfortunately, and with my strong aversion to all things dubbed, it's not all that impressive either, almost as if a few bits information were lost between the film's original sound elements and this post-production recording.

The generally front-heavy design isn't all that bad, I suppose, as dialogue remains clear and precise, even amidst all the action. The soundstage never really opens up or possesses any notable acoustical presence, but dynamic range remains clear and balanced throughout. Although the sounds of clashing swords are abundant, the mix fails to delivery truly remarkable clarity and definition in these collisions. Ambient effects are utilized sparingly and unconvincingly, while low-bass is put to better use and adds some nice depth to the experience. The musical score also makes better use of the system and extends the soundfield into the background for some great moments of engagement. Regrettably, the only "Ultimate" thing about this audio option is how much of a disaster and an unfortunate blunder this track "ultimately" is.
Rating: 6.4/10

Overall Presentation: 6/10

** 9 - 10 = Reference / 8 = Excellent / 7 = Good /
6 = Satisfactory / 5 = Average / 4 & under = Below Average **

The Extras:
There isn't to be seen in the supplemental area, but at least it's the same as the DVD release.

Behind the Scenes Special (SD, 40 min)
A long look at the film's production from beginning to end.
Video Interviews (SD, 22 min)
A collection of interviews with three particular crew members.
Trailers (HD)
Previews are for films already released on Blu-ray.

Rating: 3/10

Final Thoughts:
Not one of the better entries to the long-standing series, Kitano's The Blind Swordsman: Zatoichi is fairly good, but doesn't shy away from being an obvious attempt to revitalize an interest in the adventures of the blind masseur. The Blu-ray disc is an unfortunate result of mismanagement, arriving with an average picture quality, a very bewildering, limited audio option, and an okay collection of bonus material. This one is only for the "ultimate" fan, as newcomers could be sorely disappointed.
Rating: 5/10