I love the Zatoichi movies, though I have found that because they made so many and the plots tended to blend together so often, it is hard to distinguish them apart. I would give all of them about the same score of a 7 or an 8--with a few exceptions (the return of the original in 1989 was a TERRIBLE and depressing movie, while the new Zatoichi movie starring Beat Takeshi is probably the best of any Zatoichi movies).

The main theme of this movie is Zatoichi's attempt to undo the wrong he supposedly committed by killing the man who wants to earn the reward money to buy his sister out of prostitution. However, given that Ichi has no choice but to kill this guy (it was a fair fight),it is inexplicable why he feels so much remorse for this death. I mean, if you total together all the people killed by this blind swordsman in all his movies, it probably would have resulted in the extinction of feudal Japan!! Despite this, it's a great movie to watch--full of life and action. Plus, it's one of the few films in which Zatoichi actually gets hurt--he ISN'T "the man of steel" in this installment.

Samaritan Zatoichi is the nineteenth film in the franchise about the blind masseur, skilled swordsman and lowly yakuza. In this movie, Zatoichi reprises his work as yakuza to earn some money. Initially hired as observator, he ends up fighting and killing a man who owes his boss money. However, it is soon revealed that his boss is only interested in the victim's sister and wants to force her to become the servant of a government official in order to convince said official to attribute some land to him. Zatoichi deeply regrets his actions and decides to protect the deceased man's sister. She is initially reluctant to be protected by the man who slayed her brother but since the greedy boss, an ambitious punter and the owners of a brothel are out to get her, Zatoichi's skills end up being very welcome to help her.

There are multiple elements that make Samaritan Zatoichi stand out. First of all, this is one of the few times when we actually see Zatoichi work as yakuza. Moreover, the film shows the gentle man's dark side as Zatoichi is not only shown killing an innocent man but also not paying rent for his hotel room and cheating at a dice game. That's why the film's title is somewhat misleading as this movie is one of the very few to show Zatoichi's weaknesses. Another great element is the relationship between Zatoichi and the dead man's sister that changes from hatred over doubt to affection in the young woman's case. The acting performances are particularly great in this film.

Maybe there are a few too many characters and parties in this film as a stronger focus on the relationship between the blind yakuza and the grieving woman could have made a very good movie even excellent. The middle section of the film is a little bit plodding. The fight scenes are solid but not as impressive and memorable as in other movies of the series.

Still, Samaritan Zatoichi is of great interest for collectors and fans of old date because it shows a different side of the unique main character. The character's darker side and his relationship with the grieving woman make this film stand out very positively. Since this nearly innovative approach is quite unusual for the series, I wouldn't recommend this movie to newcomers. If you want to discover a more traditional take on the blind swordsman, go for the franchise's earlier films.

This film contained the best Zatoichi one on one fight for me yet. Mainly because the fight lasted more than a few minutes. Of course, the fact that Ichi was deafened at the time probably is the reason the fight lasted as long as it did. In this film, the fact that Zatoichi is Yakuza is made clear, but he seems to belong to a band of bumblers. Zatoichi is very serious in this movie. It seems that among the hundreds of people Zatoichi has killed only once did he kill someone under false pretenses and boy does he regret it. His efforts to make amends with the sister of the man he killed come across more like stalking, but he saves her from a horrible fate. This movie does have one unusual thing - a government official that isn't corrupt! It figures that he doesn't last long. Zatoichi's fights aren't as good in this one, though the plot was more complex than the standard Ichi flick. The problem that I had is that it seemed Shintaro Katsu just can't muster the enthusiasm he has had in his other films. Highlight - trussed-up Ichi and armed only with a hairpin still manages to fend off his attackers, the above mentioned bumblers, but still fun to watch.