Review of Zatoichi in Desperation

While some fans might be put off by this entry in the long-running series, I think "Zatoichi in Desperation" is a beautiful piece of work. Here, star/director Shintaro Katsu does with his blind, sword-swinging hero what Raymond Chandler did with his private detective Philip Marlowe in "The Long Goodbye", and that is precisely what some audiences find upsetting. The humor that Katsu fans had come to expect is nowhere to be found in this film, and it is finally revealed that Zatoichi is all too human--just as we saw with Marlowe in Chandler's masterpiece. Terrible things happen to the masseur (and to the other characters) in "Zatoichi in Desperation", but I was fascinated by his vulnerability. In one scene, he overhears a couple having sex in a brothel; as the woman reaches orgasm she cries, "I'm dying, I'm dying!" and Zatoichi mutters to himself, "Dying? Hmph. Just once I'd like to 'die' that way." (This comment foreshadows an event that occurs later in the movie: the blind swordsman is granted a taste of carnal pleasure, but very nearly pays for it with his life.) As always, Zatoichi tries to help, but this time his assistance is unwanted...and the only lesson that he or any of us has learned by the end of the film is that human beings are, for the most part, a pretty awful lot. The fight scenes are exciting and much bloodier than usual but somehow, even after Zatoichi has dispatched the villains, the viewer feels that it's not enough. Nothing, not even the act of vengeance, can erase the evil that has been done. Sound like your kind of film? If you want a predictable actioner that leaves you cheering as the credits roll, probably not. But if you're looking for something more substantial than the typical Zatoichi flick, you'll be entranced by the dark magic that Katsu works here.