Zatoichi in Desperation (1972)
10K Asao Koike Hideji Ôtaki Jôji Takagi Jûkei Fujioka Jun Katsumura Kan Shimozawa Katsuo Nakamura Kazuko Tajima Kiwako Taichi Kyoko Yoshizawa Masumi Harukawa Minoru Inuzuka Naoe Fushimi Rokku Furukawa Shintarô Katsu Shôji Mori Takao Hamada Teruo Matsuyama Yasuhiro Koume Yoshihiko Aoyama 1972 6.8 Japanese Shintarô Katsu United States
Zatoichi in Desperation (1972). 1h 35m | Not Rated
“Iu0026#39;ve seen 23 of the 26 films in the series (not including the Kitano) and this is by far the hardest to watch. It is less about Zatoichi and more about the cruelty and hardship of living in poverty in a fishing village in Edo era Japan. The film dwells very much upon the secondary characters as ends unto themselves and not just as elements in a story setting up a problem which Zatoichi will eventually resolve. Zatoichi acts as you would expect him to but he is overwhelmed by the misery and circumstances in a way that is unique in the series. Watch it by all means, but not with a light heart. I found myself also overwhelmed by the misery depicted in the film. It is unsettling.”
