Zatoichi Challenged
| Zatoichi Challenged | |
|---|---|
| Japanese | 座頭市血煙り街道 |
| Hepburn | Zatōichi chikemurikaidō |
| Directed by | Kenji Misumi |
| Produced by | Ikuo Kubodera |
| Written by | Ryozo Kasahara |
| Based on |
Zatoichi by Kan Shimozawa |
| Starring |
Shintaro Katsu Jushiro Konoe Miwa Takada Yukiji Asaoka |
| Music by | Akira Ifukube |
| Cinematography | Chikashi Makiura |
| Edited by | Toshio Taniguchi |
Production company | |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 87 minutes |
| Country | Japan |
| Language | Japanese |
Zatoichi Challenged (座頭市血煙り街道 Zatōichi chikemurikaidō) is a 1967 Japanese chambara film directed by Kenji Misumi and starring Shintaro Katsu as the blind masseur Zatoichi. It was originally released by the Daiei Motion Picture Company (later acquired by Kadokawa Pictures).
Zatoichi Challenged is the seventeenth episode in the 26-part film series devoted to the character of Zatoichi.
Plot
Zatoichi (Katsu) checks into an inn where he shares a room with an ill woman and her young son named Ryota. Before the woman dies, she requests that Zatoichi take her son to his father, an artist living in the nearby town of Maebara. As they travel together, they hitch a ride with a traveling performance troupe
Cast
- Shintaro Katsu as Zatoichi
- Jushiro Konoe as Akazuka
- Miwa Takada as Omitsu
- Yukiji Asaoka as Tomoe
- Mikiko Tsubouchi as Osen
- Mie Nakao as Miyuki
- Takao Ito as Shokichi
- Midori Isomura as Omine
- Eitaro Ozawa as Torikoshi
- Asao Koike as Boss Gonzo[1]
Reception
Critical response
J. Doyle Wallis, in a review for DVD Talk, wrote that "[w]hile it had the great Kenji Misumi, one of samurai cinema's greats and a personal favorite director of mine, behind the camera, not every film in such a long film cycle can be perfect. Unfortunately this is one of the weaker films. Misumi's direction is still quite good and his signature perfect framing is as fantastic as it ever was, particularly in the great finale which features one of Ichi's longest duels. Katsu is also, as he always was, great. The man could act with any part of his body (insert dirty joke here) and he displays some of the finest ear and foot acting you're likely to see. But, while entertaining enough for Katsu and Misum's inherent skill, the film suffers form a slapdash script and that damn annoying kid factor. The series' one major fault was its lack of development and reliance on formula. While usually that formula is a winner, here it just feels a tad tired."[2]
Adaptation
The 1989 American samurai-action film Blind Fury (starring Rutger Hauer) is a loosely based, modernized version of Zatoichi Challenged.
References
- ↑ "Zatoichi Challenged". The Criterion Collection. Retrieved 5 May 2014.
- ↑ Wallis, J. Doyle (12 September 2004). "Zatoichi the Blind Swordsman, Vol. 17 - Zatoichi Challenged". DVD Talk. Retrieved 5 May 2014.
External links
- Zatoichi Challenged at the Internet Movie Database
- Zatoichi Challenged at AllMovie
- Zatoichi Challenged at Rotten Tomatoes
- Zatoichi Challenged (1967), review by D. Trull for Lard Biscuit Enterprises
- Zatoichi Challenged (1967), review by Steve Kopian for Unseen Films (19 February 2014)
- Review: Zatoichi Challenged (1967), by Thomas Raven for freakengine (March 2012)
- REVIEW: Zatoichi 17 – Zatoichi Challenged (1967), by Mark Pollard for Kung Fu Cinema
- Zatoichi Challenged, review by Andrew Pragasam for The Spinning Image
- Zatoichi Chi Kemuri Kaido, review by Paghat the Ratgirl for Wild Realm Reviews