A film that literally cuts the competition down in size.
This year’s most unassuming pleasures hails from the land of the samurai. Almost two weeks after the guilty pleasure screening of Kill Bill and 3 months before my viewing of Tom Cruise in his ancient warrior gear, I by chance, fell upon a film which has won over audiences at the 2003 Toronto film festival and 2003 Venice film festival and also managed to pick up the Silver Lion award for best director. After his recent spawning in Kikujiro (1999), Brother (2000) and Dolls (2003), Japan’s Takeshi Kitano gives us a film which will most likely be compared to his 1997 critically celebrated piece Fireworks and will be regarded as a welcomed tribute to the very popular Japanese character and film series from the 60’s.
Being unaware of the series from which Zatoichi (the 2003 edition) is based on; I came into this film with low expectations and not a clue as to what was about to literally hit the screen. From the opening sequence you can tell that this will become an experience where the denouement of the action sets the tone for the entire picture. Served up cold, there is this ongoing odds staked up against a lone man battle, but it isn’t his fate that makes us jump in our seat, but perhaps the clashingly heavy sound effect of a viciously quick sword being brought out into a battle. Accompanying him besides his acute sense of hearing, is his trusty walking stick which helps him along his way as directionally aid as well as a weeding out of those who want to harm him. Even more surprising than the volume of blood that is spilled is the fact that the protagonist played by director-writer of the film is this albino-like bleached blond-hair and blind senior citizen who is really good with his hands as a masseur and as a better than average expert samurai swordsman. While the film does spend some time on his passion for gambling and his nocturnal need to make things right it seats the center stage for a simple tale of revenge. With a small village overrun by gangs, a couple of bottles of warm saki for digestion and an appetite for destruction with a side plate for some genuinely good humor this film has a little something for everyone. Added to the mix are some complex characters, such as a pair of sisters (technically, siblings) whose personal story is paralleled from a present day point of view to a flashback occurrences explaining their childhood trauma history. One especially beautiful sequence shows them practicing a traditional dance showing them as children and as adults all within one motion. As important as the wonderfully choreographed fights which are ultra violent and satisfyingly quick, are the dance numbers, a sort of homage to Dancer in the Dark showing field workers working away within a beat and where the final dance number contains a distinctive Bollywood feel to it.
What works best in this film is that all this is told in a wonderfully simple voice, sprinkled in a series of episodic progression of events which brings us slowly to the end of this man’s one stop journey. Except for the blood mixing in the sand and rain sequence which contains a beautiful shot which hovers over the mayhem that took place; this is a visually clean cinematography which is clear of any added dramatic effects. The spluttered blood looks like a careless paintbrush in lipstick red colors and is less gore and more artistic.
Not only can you chalk this down as my vote for Best Foreign picture, but Zatoichi has easily found its way on the very top of my best of 2003 film list, hopefully if this gets the right kind of distribution then this film pleasure can be shared with more than just the art house crowd.
Reviewed by: Ismail Bouafia
