Zatoichi – ***

Takeshi Kitano never fails to entertain. Whether it’s some part as a heavy, or his old comedic stuff, or as a scenery chewer, he’s usually got your attention. He directed and stars in this re-re-make of Zatoichi. It’s a bit modernized (it’s in color) and the swordplay is much faster than in previous incarnations, but it holds true to the old Japanese “entertaining films” (Kitano refers to them in the dvd extras). What do I mean by that? Well, it is roughened up a bit, but it’s not a hard-core gangster Kitano version of Zatoichi, there are definite nods to the older style of flicks. Some are more subtle, like the story, story telling, and the flashbacks. Some are more obvious nods/headshakes – eg the “festival” ending. All in all a very entertaining re-telling. Go rent it. But if you’re interested at all, rent some of the original ones too.