Director: Kihachi Okamoto
Notable Cast: Shintaro Katsu, Toshiro Mifune, Ayako Wakao, Osamu Takizawa, Masakane Yonekura, Shin Kishida, Kanjuro Arashi
After taking a fairly decent break during my Zatoichi binge, I went back and watched Yojimbo and Sanjuro in prep for this film. Both franchises, despite significant
differences in length, expertly hold their own as entertaining and well
executed films. Could Zatoichi Meets
Yojimbo possibly contain the epic screen devouring abilities of both of these
characters and their respective actors? Quite simply, the answer is yes. Quite
ridiculously, the answer is holy shit yes. Zatoichi
Meets Yojimbo is a film that not only ably blends the style of two
franchises, but it makes note to actually surround our protagonists with a plot
that is worthy of having both characters meet. Fortunately, the film also
doesn’t fall prey to the generic ‘versus’ elements of bringing two iconic
characters together…which only makes it better.
Zatoichi (Shintaro Katsu) needs the comfort of his old home
after a rough time on his endless wandering adventures. When he arrives though,
he finds the town is a shadow of its former glory and torn apart by a yakuza
family feud. He also finds that one side has hired a shifty swordsman as a
bodyguard for their boss, a nameless man (Toshiro Mifune) who only seems to be
out for himself…and stands in the way of Zatoichi righting the wrongs of a town
lead down the wrong path.
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| Slice n' dice. |
It probably wasn’t all that hard to figure out a way to
inject the nameless swordsman, whether or not he is the same character from
Yojimbo which I have seen debated online, into
the
Zatoichi franchise.
Zatoichi Meets
Yojimbo still adheres fairly strictly to the formula established by the
decade long series albeit with stronger writing and some top notch performances
for the two protagonists. For this twentieth film, the plot remains prescribed
to include warring yakuza factions, innocents caught in the cross fire, a rogue
swordsman, and the beautiful woman caught in a world where she never really
wanted to be. These are all things that can, and will, be found in other
Zatoichi films and they make their standard appearance here…so fans are certain
to find their footing quite quickly in the feature. It just so happens that our
nameless swordsman, this time played with dirty anti-hero charm by Mifune, is
the rogue swordsman which adds plenty of new depth to a formulaic character
role.
Outside of its paint-by-numbers structures and build, the
execution of
Zatoichi Meets Yojimbo is
phenomenal. On screen, the two stars of the film are captivating to watch on
their own, but each time they meet – and lovingly refer to one another as
monster and beast – it’s like watching lightning in a bottle. Katsu remains as
endearing as ever as our titular blind swordsman who adds just enough humor to
make his more dramatic pieces punch and Mifune continues to baffle as his
anti-hero seemingly wavers in his focus and convictions with such ferocity that
he plays the perfect counter-balance to Zatoichi’s character. Director Okamoto seemingly knows how well the two work together and builds a film around the two
character tones that it becomes a wicked game of chess with one another.
It works so well that the plot, as formulaic
as it is, plays around these two characters who move the secondary characters
around themselves as pieces on the board by the second half. It’s a smart move
by the writers and director to continually shift the nameless swordsman and Zatoichi roles back
and forth within the plot and it makes the film a sort of roller coaster ride
of twists and turns. The audience ends up caring for most of the main cast
(including some strong secondary characters like a imprisoned man who becomes a
sort of side kick to Zatoichi) and it makes the film impactful visually,
emotionally, and in concept throughout.
It must also be noted though, for the more action oriented
fan base, that Zatoichi Meets Yojimbo
is rather sparse on the action set pieces. There is enough to keep the two hour
film moving at a brisk pace, but it’s not like our two protagonists repeatedly
battle one another. There are a few traps set in place and a solid amount of
henchmen find themselves at the sharp end of a sword by the finale, but the film
instead plays out the characters are gravitational personalities that battle
instead with wits rather than letting them clash swords. By the time the two finally do end up
dueling it out in the final act, Zatoichi
Meets Yojimbo pulls some pretty fun twists to make it a more philosophy
driven clash then one where it’s an extensive and fully choreographed match.
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| It's a snow show. |
In the end, the combined film devouring abilities of Katsu
and Mifune partnered with their iconic on screen personalities and a tension
filled conspiracy plot make
Zatoichi Meets Yojimbo one of the best of both
franchises…and being one of the best in the long running
Zatoichi series is one
hell of a statement. Fans are going relish in the moments that the two have on
screen together, but sincerely appreciate that the film makers didn’t just
smash the two characters together in a lackluster film affair. To truly delight
in what the film has to offer, a solid knowledge of the characters as
characters does need to be understood so it’s not necessarily a film for those new
to either actors…but for fans it’s a true cinematic achievement.
Written By Matt Reifschneider
