Zatoichi's Conspiracy is the twenty-fifth and last entry in the classic Japanese franchise about the blind masseur, skilled swordsman and lowly yakuza with the strong moral compass. This movie was followed by a television series consisting of four seasons and exactly one hundred episodes that ran for five years. Main actor Shintaro Katsu would go on and direct a final movie about the character that made him famous sixteen years after this film. That last movie isn't considered a part of the classic franchise and received rather lukewarm critics. It's not included in the highly recommendable Criterion boxed set either. Zatoichi's legacy was revived recently in a few movies of which I might strongly suggest watching Takeshi Kitano's version.

In this final movie of the classic franchise, Zatoichi decides to return to his hometown. He has already gone to the hometown of the master who taught him how to become a swordsman in New Tale of Zatoichi, to the hometown of the master who taught him how to become a masseur in Zatoichi's Revenge and to the town where he lived during his adolescence in Zatoichi Meets Yojimbo. This time around, he comes to a town where he stayed with a woman who breastfed him when he was a young orphan and still had his eyesight even though it was getting increasingly worse. Zatoichi learns that his adoptive mother died five years ago but meets a young woman who also grew up with her. They consider each other brother and sister and grow very fond of each other. Zatoichi also comes across a childhood friend who has become a wealthy businessman. He pays the debts of the peasants just to exploit the local quarry and employs the peasants for very low salaries. Zatoichi realizes how the citizens of his hometown are suffering when the local headman commits suicide. The father of the woman he considers his sister gets brutally killed for refusing to collaborate with the businessman. The sympathetic young woman is kidnapped to lose her virginity to the businessman. The blind masseur decides to intervene and issues his childhood friend an ultimatum to leave town. Obviously, the influential businessman doesn't follow this advice and lets his mob chase the blind swordsman who decides to confront his childhood friend who has changed for the worst.

There are several positive elements about this movie. First of all, the characters have depth and the viewers care about their fates. Zatoichi's sister is a very gentle person who deserves to be saved. Her stubborn father is incorruptible and faces adversity with determination, honor and strength. The antagonist seems to be calm, generous and likable at first contact but turns out to be greedy, manipulative and perverted which makes him particularly interesting. I also liked the idea to include a group of thugs that regularly cross Zatoichi's path. Initially, they make fun of the blind man, later on try to kill him to get the hefty bounty on his head but ultimately try to help him fight the antagonist. Most of the characters are dynamic and round which is unusual for the franchise. The movie comes around with emotional dialogues that teach us more about Zatoichi's inner struggles and difficult past. The beautiful landscapes and epic classical score give the movie a slightly epic atmosphere.

On the other side, the fight sequences in the film are only of an average quality at best. The set-up and the plot are at times quite predictable. Despite being the last classic movie, this film doesn't offer any type of conclusion to the franchise. This is just another classic Zatoichi movie with the blind swordsman coming to town, fighting the greedy antagonist and his mob and leaving town to continue his solitary life as a drifter.

Zatoichi's Conspiracy is an average film by the franchise's standard. If it weren't the last of the classic films in the franchise, there wouldn't be anything memorable about this film. It's enjoyable to watch thanks to an epic atmosphere, some character development, and profound dialogues. One the other side, one would have expected something more spectacular for a last film in the franchise. I guess the makers of the movie were planning on continuing Zatoichi's story one day and didn't want to come around with a proper conclusion. Sadly, the television series and Shintaro Katsu's last Zatoichi film sixteen years later don't have the quality of the early franchise's best movies and fail to offer any type of conclusion. Still, after having watched all twenty-five original films, I must say it was highly entertaining to follow the franchise centered around its fascinating character set in a unique era. In my opinion, the greatest movies were Zatoichi Goes to the Fire Festival, Zatoichi Meets the One-Armed Swordsman and Zatoichi's Revenge. The least interesting movie was Zatoichi Meets Yojimbo. The franchise could have carried on because it still included a few quite strong movies in the early seventies but people became less interested in this type of movies more than a decade after its inception which isn't too surprising. If you are interested in Japanese culture and samurai cinema, you can't get around this franchise that still has its charm almost fifty years later. Start your journey in chronological order. If you like what you have seen and have made it to my last review, let me congratulate you for your stamina.

Zatoichi in Desperation is the twenty-fourth entry in the Japanese franchise about the blind masseur, skilled swordsman and lowly yakuza with the strong moral compass. The film is the first to be directed by leading actor Shintaro Katsu. This movie starts in an unusual way as Zatoichi comes across an old woman who plays the shamisen. They cross a dilapidated bridge and have a short conversation. Zatoichi wants to give the old woman some money but she slips and falls to her death. Zatoichi feels responsible for the terrible accident and decides to visit the old woman's daughter who turns out to be a manipulative prostitute. The blind yakuza still wants to help and buy her freedom. In order to get the fifty ryo to buy her freedom, he goes to a gambling house where he gets in conflict with the local boss and his mob. The criminals are aware of Zatoichi's identity which is also the case for a wandering swordsman and a group of thugs who all want to earn the bounty on his head. In his search for forgiveness, the blind masseur soon has to fight off yakuza, swordsmen and criminals and has to deal with a prostitute whom he cannot trust.

There are a few interesting elements about this movie. First of all, the movie features some psychedelic flashbacks, supported with funky music that make the influence of the seventies' cultural trends quite obvious. Secondly, the locations are quite intriguing as the story takes place in a small town by the sea and shows the rough everyday life of exploited fishermen. Thirdly, Zatoichi gets severely injured in this movie and has to use a new technique to fight off his numerous enemies in a stunning fight sequence in the sandy town.

Despite these fresh elements, the film also has considerable downsides. The characters are neither fleshed out nor sympathetic which leads to the problem that one only cares about Zatoichi's fate. The plot starts interestingly but slows down and wastes a lot of time through a tedious middle section. The final duel between Zatoichi and a swordsman lasts for about ten seconds and looks ridiculous. Several parts of the movie feel rushed and the unusual shaky camera work makes it look like a low quality entry in the franchise.

Overall, Zatoichi in Desperation is among the weaker entries in the franchise. It has a few fresh ideas concerning camera work, score and special effects but the story and characters are too uninteresting to be memorable. I would only recommend this film to fans of old date. Those who aren't familiar with the blind swordsman yet should either start discovering the movies in chronological order or give Takeshi Kitano's version a chance.

Zatoichi at Large is the twenty-third entry in the Japanese franchise about the blind masseur, skilled swordsman and lowly yakuza with a strong moral compass whose words speak louder than his actions. It tells how Zatoichi meets a dying pregnant woman on the road who got attacked and robbed by an unknown assailant. Zatoichi helps her give birth to a baby boy but the mother dies in the process. With her last dying breath, she tells Zatoichi the name of the father. A child witnesses the woman's death, follows Zatoichi and occasionally throws rocks at him. Zatoichi travels to the father's hometown but only comes across his sister who reluctantly accepts to take care of the child with the help of an old family of eight children. Zatoichi decides to wait for her brother to arrive in town to bring him all the bad and good news. While he stays in town, Zatoichi witnesses how a rude boss suddenly arrives, pitilessly controls local businesses and brutally makes the local population suffer. Things get worse when the baby's father finally arrives and is told by the child who witnessed the mother's death that Zatoichi robbed and killed her. Zatoichi decides to stay to clear his name, find the mother's murderer and rid the town of its new boss.

The twenty-third film is an average movie of the Zatoichi franchise. On the positive side, the film's atmosphere is quite gloomy from start to finish which makes for a entertaining, fluid and intense experience. The idea to show how Zatoichi seems to be doomed to be misunderstood as that his good actions are so often misinterpreted as bad ones adds a tragic note to the movie and makes the protagonist even more interesting. The side characters are intriguing enough to make the viewers care about them, especially the dead mother's family. The final fight sequence is quite impressive as Zatoichi is attacked with burning ladders and needs to use all his skills to survive.

On the other side, the film's story is quite exchangeable. Zatoichi has already taken care of children of dying parents in Fight, Zatoichi, Fight as well as in Zatoichi Challenged. This movie's boss is also quite exchangeable and not a real threat for Zatoichi. The protagonists are overall much more developed than the stereotypical antagonists who remain shallow.

In the end, Zatoichi at Large will please to the franchise's collectors and fans of old date. It's interesting while it lasts but a movie you won't remember for a very long time. On the positive side, the film's gloomy atmosphere, intriguing protagonists and the final fight sequence justify watching this film. On the negative side, the antagonists remain shallow and the plot is predictable. Those who aren't familiar with the franchise yet shouldn't start here but rather watch the two excellent predecessors. Zatoichi at Large is of an average quality but a small step back after the brilliant Zatoichi Goes to the Fire Festival and Zatoichi and the One-Armed Swordsman.

Zatoichi Meets the One-Armed Swordsman is the twenty-second entry in the Japanese franchise about the blind masseur, skilled swordsman and lowly yakuza. This creative movie is a Hong Kong-Japanese cooperation with one director, one genre and one protagonist from each country. The story revolves around a Chinese swordsman who has recently arrived in Japan who meets a family of Chinese artists consisting of a father, a mother and a boy. The boy accidentally disturbs the procession of a local clan when his kite flies away. The pitiless yakuza attack the boy. The parents try to protect him but are brutally slain just as all witnesses on the road. The boy is however saved by the Chinese swordsman. They meet Zatoichi on their way who decides to help them but the language barrier makes communication quite complicated. Things turn sour when the three are helped out by a family of farmers but quickly discovered by the raging yakuza. The family's parents are slain, the daughter gets tortured and the Chinese swordsman and the boy must go into hiding in a temple. Zatoichi was on his way to get some information about the samurai and some water for his companions during the massacre. The Chinese swordsman now wrongfully believes Zatoichi betrayed him and the farmer's daughter also holds an unjustified grudge against the blind swordsman. Zatoichi needs to clear his name, fight the yakuza mob and save the farmer's daughter as well as the Chinese swordsman and the orphan boy.

There are numerous elements that make this movie stand out as one of the very best entries in the franchise. First of all, the combination of Hong Kong and Japanese cinema is fantastic. Perfectly choreographed sword fights meet elegant martial arts combats. The fight sequences are beautiful to watch but also include some bloody and brutal elements here and there to spice things up efficiently. The movie almost equally uses Japanese chambara and Chinese wu xia techniques. The two protagonists are also very famous in their respective countries and represent how seemingly disadvantaged outsiders can rise to heroism. Zatoichi and Wang Kang could be described as soulmates which makes their fates even more tragic. Secondly, the movie has a very strong message. If you overcome the language barrier, you will realize how close people actually are. The film promotes a message of communication, cooperation and respect. Thirdly, the movie also has an intriguing story as it deals with topics such as authority, distrust and manipulation. There are a lot of betrayals and conspiracies happening throughout the film that keep it very interesting until the very end. Few movies in the franchise have such a fluid pace and are entertaining to watch from start to finish without any lengths.

There really isn't much to criticize about this movie that should appeal to chambara and wu xia collectors and fans alike. The supporting characters could have been a little bit more fleshed out but that's the only element that could have been improved.

Overall, Zatoichi Meets the One-Armed Swordsman is a highlight in the Zatoichi franchise and will please fans of old date as much as those who are rather fans of the Shaw Brothers character. This movie combines Chinese and Japanese cultures perfectly. In addition to being highly entertaining, this film has a positive message that still matters nowadays. This movie has therefore aged very well but also has the classic structure of a Zatoichi movie that fans like so much. This film is equally innovative and traditional which makes it particularly enjoyable. Zatoichi Meets the One-Armed Swordsman should appeal to a wide audience and deserves more acclaim and attention that it has gotten so far. While the combination of Zatoichi and Yojimbo a year earlier was a mismatch, the combination of Zatoichi and Wang Gang is a perfect match. Give it a try!

Zatoichi Goes to the Fire Festival is the twenty-first entry in the Japanese franchise about the blind masseur, skilled swordsman and lowly yakuza. This is also by far the most experimental movie in the series so far and comes as an unexpected positive surprise. The vivid story line features several subplots. Let's just focus on the most essential elements. Zatoichi assists a mistress auction where he gives massages to bosses who want to sell or purchase women. Zatoichi seems to be overwhelmed by emotions when the most beautiful woman is sold for a hefty fee and decides to rescue her. However, the woman doesn't react to Zatoichi's gentle behavior and the disappointed swordsman lets her go when he realizes she wants to rob him out and run away. Things turn sour when the woman's husband suspects his wife to have slept with Zatoichi and decides to slay her and follow and ultimately confront her savior throughout the movie. Zatoichi however attends the reunion of some of the bosses who were present at the auction and decides to provoke the arrogant criminals as he despises their self-important swagger. However, he comes across a quite unusual boss named Yamikubo who is blind like Zatoichi but respected by his underlings. The two blind men challenge each other philosophically, intellectually and finally physically. In order to get rid of the troublesome Zatoichi, Yamikubo assigns his assigned successor's daughter to kill the emotional swordsman. In addition to this, an androgynous pimp also wants to kill Zatoichi to become a yakuza. Zatoichi needs to deal with a clever boss, an ambitious drag queen, a seductive protegee and a clever boss in this dynamic film.

Zatoichi Goes to the Fire Festival is my favorite film in the franchise so far for a multitude of reasons. First of all, the story is more adventurous than usual as it deals with unusual topics such as homosexuality and human trafficking. Secondly, the story is quite vivid and comes around with numerous memorable scenes. The bloody fight in the bath might be the most memorable fight scene in any film of the franchise and the final duel sees Zatoichi isolated on an artificial island surrounded by a ring of fire. Thirdly, the film takes some inspiration from Western cinema. The clever boss who challenges a dynamic Zatoichi reminds of Blofeld challenging James Bond in many aspects. The movie includes much more nudity than usually, including many naked yakuza as well as women whose phsyical features are presented in detail at an auction. Even the soundtrack has a vibe inspired by jazz and rock music at certain points but also still features Japanese folkloristic music. Fourthly, the characters in this film are all intriguing. This starts with unimportant side characters such as the bickering and slightly perverted couple who owns a teahouse. It goes on with supporting characters like the silent lady who is saved by Zatoichi or the homosexual pimp who wants to be seen as a real man. It culminates with two very interesting antagonists, the first being the jealous and nihilistic widow and the other one being the clever blind yakuza boss who is as cold as ice. Fifthly, the movie finds a perfectly balanced mixture between comic relief, tense fight sequences, a solid dose of suspense, a shot of tragic romance and some cultural elements thrown in to spice things up.

Obviously, this film is over the top which impresses me but which might irritate those who prefer more traditional chambara films. Homosexuality and nudity are everything but typical components for this type of movie. Some psychedelic flashbacks and experimental cuts also show that this movie was shot in the wild seventies and not in the more traditional sixties. Depending on your taste, this film could be the best but also the worst of the series.

To keep it short, watch this movie if you are craving for a more experimental take on traditional chambara movies after twenty rather streamlined entries in the franchise. Zatoichi Goes to the Fire Festival definitely stands out and is my favorite movie in the franchise up to that point. It deserves more acclaim and attention than it gets and could easily please to a wide audience. It's not the best film to start discovering the franchise because it's so experimental but it's a dynamic fun ride from start to finish you won't forget anytime soon.