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The Tale of Zatoichi

The Tale of Zatoichi

Adventure · Action · Drama · 1962

The adventures of a blind, gambling masseur and master swordsman. Zatoichi targets a yakuza-controlled village, because war with a neighbouring town's smaller gang is brewing.

Movie details

The Tale of Zatoichi

1962 Adventure · Action · Drama 1h 36m

Critical arithmetic

The consensus, allegedly.

IMDb

7.6 / 10

6.6K votes

Rotten Tomatoes

100 %

Tomatometer

TMDB

7.3 / 10

Community rating

External scores via OMDb · CC BY-NC 4.0. Values normalized for display; availability varies by title.

The adventures of a blind, gambling masseur and master swordsman. Zatoichi targets a yakuza-controlled village, because war with a neighbouring town's smaller gang is brewing.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over The Tale of Zatoichi?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Where it lives

Watch in your region.

Cinema release signals and current streaming, rental, and purchase options for your region.

Streaming availability data supplied by JustWatch.

Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Kenji Misumi

Written by

Minoru Inuzuka

Shintarō Katsu

Shintarō Katsu

Zatôichi

Masayo Banri

Masayo Banri

Otane

Ryūzō Shimada

Ryūzō Shimada

Shigezô

H

Hajime Mitamura

Hanji

Shigeru Amachi

Shigeru Amachi

Miki Hirate

Michirō Minami

Michirō Minami

Tatekichi

Eijirō Yanagi

Eijirō Yanagi

Sukegorô

Court is in session

Put The Tale of Zatoichi on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Adrenaline Seeker

“Momentum is a formal choice.”

The velocity sharpens instinct and tension, making every beat land before self-importance can settle in.

The prosecution The Popcorn Loyalist

“Speed as an alibi.”

The film races past its weak spots and hopes acceleration will keep the audience from inspecting the evidence.