The Blind Swordsman: Zatoichi
Metascore
75 out of 100

Generally favorable reviews - based on 33 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 30 out of 33
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 33
  3. Negative: 0 out of 33
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  1. Chicago Tribune
    Reviewed by: Michael Wilmington
    100
    A masterpiece of wry violence and stylized mayhem, The Blind Swordsman: Zatoichi turns loose one of Japan's most brilliant film auteurs, Takeshi Kitano, on one of its most enduring pop legends.
  2. Dallas Observer
    Reviewed by: Gregory Weinkauf
    90
    This roaring crowd-pleaser also boasts hilarious bits of business, insightful observations into the human condition, and geysers of kitschy computer-generated blood.
  3. Washington Post
    Reviewed by: Stephen Hunter
    90
    The summer's most rousing action picture.
  4. Chicago Sun-Times
    Reviewed by: Roger Ebert
    88
    The kind of film I more and more find myself seeking out, a film that seems alive in the sense that it appears to have free will; if, in the middle of a revenge tragedy, it feels like adding a suite for hoes and percussion, it does.
  5. Philadelphia Inquirer
    Reviewed by: Carrie Rickey
    88
    A boisterous and improbably entertaining action comedy.
  6. Boston Globe
    Reviewed by: Ty Burr
    88
    If there's a larger theme in Zatoichi, it's that nobody is quite who he or she seems.
  7. Baltimore Sun
    Reviewed by: Chris Kaltenbach
    88
    It's a top-notch action film, albeit on the bloody side, complete with decisive action, mysterious characters and a nobility and sense of purpose that allows its excesses to be forgiven.

User Reviews

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User Score
8.3 out of 10

Universal acclaim- based on 23 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 13 out of 13
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 13
  3. Negative: 0 out of 13
  1. Riren
    10
    An unflinching revival of the Zatoichi series, this movie requires no knowledge of prior films, or even Japanese film history - though every drop of knowledge helps. All you really need to know is that this is an expert's product in the new kind of film, that which will do whatever it wants whenever it wants. What Zatoichi does that others fail at is earn at or amuse with everything it decides to do, from dance scenes to fight scenes, from innuendo to philosophy. It's not as pretty as Hero or Curse of the Golden Flower, nor are its actors as internationally recognizable - but it is considerably better at doing almost everything that those two movies do, short the wire teams. Give it a try, and bring your friends.… Full Review »
  2. JamesM
    10
    Takeshi Kitano's masterpiece. You must see this film.
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