Zatoichi's Revenge

Akira Inoue's 1965 Japanese film is one instalment of the series about the blind swordsman Zatoichi. Zatoichi calls at the village of the master who taught him massage and learns that the man was murdered and that his daughter was sold to a brothel against a debt. An arrangement exists in the town between the local official and a moneylender: families are forced into debt, their daughters taken and nobody can complain. Zatoichi sets about undoing it. The film follows the pattern of the series, but the anger here is more personal; his teacher's death shakes him unusually. The sword scenes are short and sudden and most of the film is spent with the people of the town. Shintarō Katsu balances the character with his usual humour. Who it's for: viewers who like the Zatoichi series and classic samurai films. Who it's not for: anyone new to the series; this comes from the middle of it.