This is the only Zatoichi movie that is bad. The camera-work is absolutely terrible. In an attempt to be flashy or stylish, the end result is something completely unwatchable. Extreme, blurry close ups, inept framing, and sloppy editing make this a visual mess. Added to that is the abuse of children and the mentally handicapped, which serves no purpose to the story. We need not see such things to show that the bad guys are 'bad'. We already know that. It comes across not 'dark', like some suggest, but rather as 'repulsive'.
It is a shame because the other 24 films are all great. Most of them are classically shot, with beautiful, sometimes elegant framing. Fights, usually in long or medium shots, are in long takes so that we see the fantastic choreography. In the few that try to be a little more stylish (like Zatoichi's Flashing Sword), it never gets in the way of the story.
Here, the visual style is rubbed in our face constantly and is distracting.
Avoid at all cost.
It is a shame because the other 24 films are all great. Most of them are classically shot, with beautiful, sometimes elegant framing. Fights, usually in long or medium shots, are in long takes so that we see the fantastic choreography. In the few that try to be a little more stylish (like Zatoichi's Flashing Sword), it never gets in the way of the story.
Here, the visual style is rubbed in our face constantly and is distracting.
Avoid at all cost.