Zatôichi

By Mal -

4 out of 10

Once again, I find myself struggling to review a foreign-language film. I’m not a subtitle hater — indeed, they’re miles better than dubbing — I think it’s just that I sometimes fail to connect with the cultural nuances.

Zatôichi, for instance, left me wondering whether the performances were stilted — especially that of Beat Takeshi — or whether Japanese mannerisms are simply that different to English ones. I still can’t make my mind up. Unfortunately, I’m not one to be impressed with fancy swordplay either, so overall I was left wanting. You may get more out of it, but for me, it just didn’t click.

Comments

Unknown said…
Gah! There's no hope for you Mal. I originally saw this at the cinema and everybody who was there came out buzzing. Surely the big dance number impressed you at least!
6:50 am
Mal said…
Not really - big dance numbers and manic drumming aren't my thing (as I found out when I saw those drummers at the Theatre Royal a few years back). Or maybe I just wasn't in the mood. :-/
7:58 am
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