The Blind Swordsman: Zatoichi

(Zatôichi, Takeshi Kitano, Japan 2003, 116 min., 35mm, Japanese w/subtitles)

Takeshi Kitano. 19th century Japan: Zatoichi (Kitano) is a blind wanderer who makes a living by gambling and giving massages. But behind his humble facade, Zatoichi is a master swordsman, gifted with lightning-fast draw and strokes of breathtaking precision. Kitano’s rendition of the classical Japanese samurai series is breathtaking both in its beauty and explosions of almost surreal violence, and underscored by flashes of bizarre humor, including the legendary tap dancing sequence.