The Blind Swordsman: Zatoichi (DVD)

I had never heard of Takeshi Kitano before screening this DVD and never would have known that he is such a big star in Japan with 33 films under his belt acting wise, 11 as a director and 13 as a writer. Most notable for his Japanese Yakuza and Samurai stories this DVD highlights both those genres with not only the main feature, Zatoichi, this one brings with it the 1993 Japanese Yakuza crime drama Sonatine.

In an effort to make Americans aware of the Kitano talent Miramax has put together a special edition DVD priced slightly higher than a normal DVD at around $22.49, but if Japanese crime and samurai stories are your thing it is hard to go wrong with this one, except for a few minor details that really stick out in my mind.

First off The Blind Swordsman: Zatoichi tells the story of a man that makes his living primarily as a gambler and masseur. Unfortunately his time in a remote mountain village is about to be interrupted by a corrupt night at the "casino" involving some loaded dice and a couple of geishas that aren't exactly as they seem. Cutting to the point he gets himself into a bit of trouble with the local gang leader Ginzo and his newly hired bodyguard Hattori.

I was not aware of it before checking out the special features on the DVD, but Zatoichi is apparently a long running character in Japanese cinema and this is the first time he has been brought back to the big screen since 1989. While the film has done well on the festival circuit, winning at the 2003 Venice Film Festival and the 2004 Awards of the Japanese Academy the use of CGI blood for the fight sequences really detracts from the entire production.

Zatoichi is a fast paced and brutally violent film with spectacular fight scenes that are unfortunately marred by the use of CGI swords through combatants and CGI blood that is extremely noticeable from the first spray.

It is a shame that filmmakers feel the need to use CGI to "improve" their productions when it really only takes away from the realism.

Sonatine is a much more everyday crime thriller, which finds Kitano playing a Tokyo hit man sent to Okinawa to help settle a dispute between two other gangs. The only problem is that he soon realizes he has been set up and the whole deal is just one more battle in an on-going turf war.

After the initial ambush he and his men hide out in a beach house determined to exact revenge.

While the synopsis paints a good picture the filmmaking techniques and acting in this film are abysmal. From headlight glare to stone-faced acting this movie has no heart and you couldn't care less whether the characters live or die. The only thing that saves the film is the highly unexpected ending that really could have been placed in the beginning of the film to add more emotion and purpose to the story.

With special features including an intro and outro by Quentin Tarantino giving his thoughts on Kitano's films, namely Sonatine, and their influence on movie making and Tarantino himself you see that there is reason for a film like this. Quite possibly without a film such as Sonatine Tarantino's Kill Bill films wouldn't have been so good, but I think I will leave it up to filmmakers such as Quentin to reinterpret these films into better ones as opposed to me seeing their muse for myself.

Overall, this set is impressive for a one-time viewing but repeated viewings are unlikely, especially if the Japanese crime and samurai films aren't your thing. If you are looking for a starting point to see if these films interest you this may be a good place to start considering the cost, but I would steer clear unless you know what you are getting into.