Zatoichi's Flashing Sword

In this 1964 entry in the Zatoichi series, the blind swordsman is shot by a member of a gang and nursed back to health by a young woman. Ichi had come to the village to repay a debt; now he carries a second one. The woman's father runs a river crossing and is being threatened by the same gang. Ichi decides to use his sword this time not for himself but to protect them. Directed by Kazuo Ikehiro, this is among the visually strongest entries in the run, with the use of light and colour in the night sequences particularly notable. The structure follows the series formula: debt, obligation and an unavoidable reckoning. The swordplay is brief and sharp. Who it's for: followers of chanbara and Katsu's Zatoichi. Who it's not for: anyone using it as a first entry point; the film assumes knowledge of the character's history.