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One of my all time favorites.

everything you have heard about this movie is true.

The first must-see film of the year.

It’s sentimental, ridiculously long and only occasionally funny

Zatoichi the Outlaw is the sixteenth entry in the franchise about the blind masseur, skilled swordsman and lowly yakuza. It's also the first film to be produced by Katsu Productions, lead actor's Katsu Shintaro's own company. The movie remains faithful to the franchise's typical storytelling of the main character traveling across rural Japan during the shogunate's final years in mid-nineteenth century in order to support the helpless in their struggles with exploitative authorities. However, there are also a few new elements such as more explicit fight scenes with severed limbs and fake blood. The plot is also more complex and epic than usual. To keep it short, Zatoichi travels to a town led by a sword-less ronin who leads a peasant movement advocating the abstention from drinking, gambling and whoring and teaching how to cultivate rice more efficiently. This ronin is supported by a seemingly honest yakuza and boss who appears to be very close to local farmers. However, another boss who is backed up by a corrupt government official has interest in making money as he organizes a festival promoting the use of alcohol, indepts young peasants by making them participate in crooked gambling and establishes a new brothel. Zatoichi gets caught in between the opposing parties and decides to help the sword-less ronin and the honest yakuza boss. He accidentally kills a peasant that was sent to attack him and injures another. When the corrupt boss confronts him, Zatoichi kills him and goes into hiding. However, Zatoichi soon realizes that his actions have changed things for the worse. The dead peasant's sister is abused by the corrupt government official and then forced into prostitution. The injured peasant is obsessed with killing Zatoichi. The honest yakuza has taken the dead boss' place and has been corrupted by greed and power. The sword-less ronin gets is accused of treason and gets imprisoned. One year after he left the village, Zatoichi is back to repair his mistakes by using his sword.Even though several critics had a negative perception of Zatoichi the Outlaw, I happen to think it's one of the best entries in the franchise. First of all, the camera work is splendid. It's calm, focused and precise and the landscapes are even more colorful than usual. The score is dramatic and adds a solid dose of intensity to the film. The numerous characters are intriguing and have depth, especially since a lot of them are going through profound and at times unpredictable changes. The movie also has a more ideologiocal and philosophical note as the sword-less ronin tries to organize collective farming and suggest Zatoichi to lay down his sword. This movie almost has a socialist message which is quite interesting. The fight sequences are more intense as well thanks to more explicit scenes with torn hands and heads and the use of fake blood. It makes the brief fights more realistic.However, the film has a few minor flaws. Even though new writers and even a new director were hired for this film, the plot is still mostly predictable. Also, there aren't many sword fights and the few that are shown aren't as skillful as one is used to. The fights are more brutal and realistic but less artistic and dynamic, taking away from the charme of the series.In the end, Zatoichi the Outlaw is still a highlight of the Zatoichi franchise in my book. The great acting performances, progressive ideologies and epic plot make this film stand out for fans of old date and new ones alike. Ignore the negative reviews and give it a try!

This film sees the blind swordsman Zatoichi arriving in a village where he meets Shushi Ohara, a samurai who no longer carries a sword but is still capable of defending himself. He is trying to help the peasants by encouraging them to stop gambling and drinking; something that is upsetting the local boss who has been fleecing them. Another boss appears to be more altruistic but he has his own devious plan to take the peasants' land. Inevitably Zatoichi eventually comes to the aid of the peasants even though he initially trusted the 'good' boss.As I've not seen many Zatoichi films, and this is the oldest one I've seen so far I can't compare it to the earlier films but I will say I enjoyed it; it certainly isn't necessary to have seen other films in the series to understand what is going on. The story is easy enough to follow and there is plenty of impressive action. Some of this is pretty bloody as limbs and heads get severed occasionally. Zatoichi is an interesting protagonist; he isn't always right and his mistakes have real consequences; Shintaro Katsu does a fine job in the role. As well as good action there are a few laughs to be had along the way.These comments are based on watching the film in Japanese with English subtitles.

Zatoichi the Outlaw (not really the first time he was an outlaw) is different than its predecessors for a few reasons. First, it's the only Zatoichi film directed by Satsuo Yamamoto, a director noted for his anti-authoritarian films (and indeed, there's a political side to this one as well). It also has a new screen writing staff and it's the first film produced by Shintaro Katsu's own company, Katsu Productions.Stylistically, this movie is a bit more rough compared to its predecessors. While the pittoresque, colorful images of feudal Japan are still here, the sword-fights are bloodier. Limbs and heads are hacked off, women are raped. Zatoichi makes some truly horrible life choices that profoundly affect the lives of a nearby family, and he's never really sure whom to trust in this movie. The pacing is also unusual, making the film take place across a whole year instead of a few weeks max. Two notable actors also make an appearance; Rentaro Mikuni and Ko Nishimura.The film's highlight: Zatoichi kills a moth by throwing a toothpick at him, the stabbed moth landing on a bad guy's face.

So far I have watched all 15 of the Zatoichi movies preceding Zatoichi the Outlaw and this title surprised me the most. Zatoich the Outlaw still uses the 'tried and tested' formula of a typical Zatoichi movie with a few subtle changes that gives this film a fresh take on the franchise.This is largely thanks to the fact that this is the first film done by the Katsu Production Co. The few subtle changes I referred to was firstly brought on by the use of plot devices such as the flow of time to help demonstrate how the true nature of man can change with time.Secondly, the movie gives a short glimpse of Zatoichis' life as a masseur in a mountain-side village. This part of the movie was my favorite part as it depicts Zatoichi as a lone drifter that tries to fit in a village of people that recognizes him as someone special, an outsider. His dealings with fellow blind massuers'(anma); rich-folk and a beautiful girl sums him up nicely as an individual in these few short scenes.This film also didn't shy away when it came to violence. Severed limbs and blood abound demonstrates Zatoichis' deadly swordmanship. In many of the previous films it felt like he was merely hitting his opponents with a stick as there was hardly any evidence of fatal injuries and such.The cinematography is top-notch,the Katsu Production Co. went all out: Picturesque Japanese landscapes; tons of extras dressed up in the appropriate period attire and vibrant colors never before seen in a Zatoichi film. The actors did a stellar job, Rentarô Mikuni that played Asagoro deserves special credit for his truly versatile ability to depicts both sides of human cruelty. The Katsu Production Co. obviously avoided using the same actors that circulated through the series,some actors have played as 5 different characters in the previous films! I was quite surprised when I saw some of the IMDb user reviews writing the film up as the first let down in the long-running series. To the contrary, this film in my opinion is one of the best so far.