Zatoichi’s Vengeance Review

Zatoichi’s Vengeance

Year: 1966

Director: Tokozu Tanaka

Writer: Hajime Takaiwa,(based on a short story by Kan Shimozawa)

Starring: Shintaro Katsu, Shigeru Amachi, Jun Hamamura, Gen Kimura, Kanae Kobayashi, Koichi Mizuhara, Mayumi Ogawa, Kei Sato,

Zatoichi’s Vengeance sees our beloved blind swordsman get wrapped up in yet another series of incidents that result in the traditional bloodfest. Beginning with Zatoichi coming across a victim of an attack just moments before his death, Zatoichi gets just two names is given a puch of coins before coincidentally stumbling across the family of the slain man. Although the film follows the same pattern as previous entries, it feels as though the writer, Hajime Takaiwa, was merely making the plot up as he went along rather than planning the plot in advance. These films were churned out so quickly that one would have expected cracks to appear before this, but there are many characters and events that just seem to glide through the film until a use is found for them.

The Story Of Mr. Sorry Review

The Story Of Mr. Sorry

Year: 2009

Director: Kim Il Hyun, Kwak In Keun, Lee Eun Mi, Lee Hae Young, Ryu Ji Na,

Writer: Kim Il Hyun, Kwak In Keun, Lee Eun Mi, Ryu Ji Na, Kim Yeong Chan, Seon Kyeong Hee,

Starring: Eom Sang Hyeon, Jo Hyeon Jeong, Jeong Jae In, Lee Jang Won,

Korean animation isn’t exactly widely known across the globe but whenever one does surface it’s usually an inventive an interesting affair. The Story Of Mr. Sorry is one such film. It’s a fascinating and bonkers experience, compiled from the minds of many creative individuals. This isn’t your run of the mill animated cinematic experience by any stretch of the imagination. The animation is different, the artistry is unique, and the story is plain weird. But it all works. Not only does it work, but it manages to convince you of its own believability. This is a film where you chuckle at the absurdity at first, but by the end you realise that you’ve been going with it despite the many surreal twists and turns.

Zatoichi And The Chess Expert Review

Zatoichi And The Chess Expert

Year: 1965

Director: Kenji Misumi

Writer: Daisuke Ito,(based on a short story by Kan Shimozawa)

Starring: Shintaro Katsu, Mikio Narita, Chizu Hayashi, Kaneko Iwasaki, Gaku Yamamoto,

Anyone worried of the series going stale will quickly have such fears assuaged. Zatoichi And The Chess Expert may very well have much of the same events and general plot, but once again it’s the tiny moments that allow the film to become a separate entity from its predecessors. The film may not have the most exciting title, but it is one of the most dramatic for Ichi as he travels with a new group of people, where he learns new things about them and, in turn, himself. Ichi has always been a much more complicated character than he lets on, and that’s what makes him such a joy to watch.

Natural City Review

Natural City

Year: 2003

Director: Min Byung Chun

Writer: Min Byung Chun, Han Jae Rim,

Starring: Yu Ji Tae, Lee Jae Un, Rin Seo, Jeong Eun Pyo, Jung Doo Hong,

There’s plenty of room for tales about robots, cyborgs and androids in the world but one thing is for definite, such stories will always draw comparison to Blade Runner. It’s a film that pretty much defined the rules of a science-fiction subgenre, and one that should probably always be consulted when attempting to design a similar world. However, there is a clear difference between paying homage or referencing, and simply looking up to a film like a star struck lovesick puppy. Natural City unfortunately conforms to the latter, but that’s not the only reason as to why the film feels lifeless and sterile.

Zatoichi And The Doomed Man Review

Zatoichi And The Doomed Man

Year: 1965

Director: Kazuo Mori

Writer: Shozaburo Asai,(based on a short story by Kan Shimozawa)

Starring: Shintaro Katsu, Kanbi Fujiyama, Eiko Taki, Masako Myojo, Kenjiro Ishiyama, Koichi Musihara,

It’s about time Zatoichi ended up in prison and that’s exactly where this 11^th feature film takes place. Luckily for him it’s on teh charge of gambling and nothing more serious than a few lashings is his punishment. However, he also encounters a man in the cell next to his who claims to be innocent and is facing the death penalty. He begs Zatoichi to travel to his hometown and find a man who will vouch for him. It’s a simple and effective set-up for yet another fun and entertaining adventure, which also switches things up a bit in terms of setting and characters, but only slightly.

She’s On Duty Review

She’s On Duty

Year: 2005

Director: K.C. Park

Writer: Jeong Yong Ki, Lee Won Jae

Starring: Kim Sun A, Gong Yoo, Nam Sang Mi, Ha Jeong Woo, Kim Kap Soo, No Ju Hyeon, Kim Sang Ho, Hong Soo A, Park Sang Myeon, Oh Gwang Rok,

21 Jump Street proved that grown up cops could go undercover in a school setting, but before the Hollywood reboot gave it a shot, South Korea also gave it a try with She’s On Duty. As you can imagine, the film is a fairly broad comedy at times, focusing on the humour that derives from a fully trained officer having to integrate herself with school life. Surpriisngly though, less focus is given to the politics of playground law than to the actual criminal investigation that is underway.

Zatoichi’s Revenge Review

Zatoichi’s Revenge

Year: 1965

Director: Akira Inoue

Writer: Minoru Inuzuka,(based on a short story by Kan Shimozawa)

Starring: Shintaro Katsu, Norihei Miki, Mikiko Tsubouchi, Takeshi Kato, Fujio Harumoto,

Zatoichi has had 9 adventures preceding this one, so you would be forgiven for thinking that he must have engaged in all the revenge one man can handle. Zatoichi’s Revenge shows us that that is certainly not the case in a film with a very dark and unforgiving plot. Zatoichi returns to his hometown in order to visit his old masseuse master who taught him the tricks of his non-sword wielding trade. What he discovers is a corrupt town where officials embezzle taxes and force young daughters to work in a brothel in order to pay off loans. The film itself opens with bright sunlight and Zatoichi appreciating the weather, with the very next scene showing a greyer and more derelict viewpoint.

Woochi Review

Woochi

Year: 2009

Director: Choi Dong Hoon

Writer: Choi Dong Hoon

Starring: Kang Dong Won, Kim Yun Seok, Yu Hae Jin, Lim Su Jeong,

Woochi became the 3^rd biggest film in its home nation of South Korea back in 2009. No surprise really, given that the film mixes a whole host of elements found in big Hollywood productions and then some. It’s a fantasy, a romance, has action, contains martial arts, special effects, and comedy. All those elements combined mean that the film is certainly aiming for a wide audience, which is exactly what it got. Choi Dong Hoon is no stranger to box office gold and has topped himself with The Thieves, a film which remains the second most attended South Korean film in South Korea.