By | Published June 12, 2009

ICHI (2008) Audiences in the U.K. will soon get a healthy dose of chambara action when director Fumihiko Sori’s ICHI arrives in theaters on July 10th. The film re-imagines Japan’s iconic blind sword-fighting screen hero Zatoichi as a woman.

Check out a video preview of a fight sequence at SciFi Japan. Notice the CG blood effects which look very similar to the digital blood works in Takeshi Kitano’s ZATOICHI. I miss the old compressed air blood sprays from 1970s-era chambara like LONE WOLF AND CUB.

From Fumihiko Sori, the director of VEXILLE and PING PONG, comes the period martial arts action saga, ICHI, a bold, gender-bending re-imagining of the classic ZATOICHI series of films and TV shows.

Originally created by novelist Kan Shimozawa, the eponymous hero – a blind masseur and master swordsman – has traditionally been a male character (previously played by stars such as Shintaro Katsu, Takeshi Kitano and, in BLINF FURY, by Rutger Hauer).

In a refreshing break from tradition that adds an intriguing twist to the story, Sori’s ICHI stars actress Haruka Ayase (HERO) in the title role playing a young and beautiful blind musician who also happens to be an adept swordswoman.

Traveling the country in search of the blind swordsman who raised her as a child and passed on his fighting skills to her before mysteriously leaving her life, Ichi is constantly struggling to deal with those eager to take advantage of her disability. During her quest she encounters and is threatened by a brutal gang of bandits. Another passing wanderer, Toma (Takao Osawa), steps in to rescue Ichi but finds he is the one being saved when she reveals a samurai sword hidden inside her walking stick and effortlessly dispatches their attackers. The slaying of the bandits brings the wrath of their leader, Banki (Shido Nakamura), down upon Ichi and Toma and they reluctantly become embroiled in a battle for control of a village between Banki’s gang and the local yakuza. However, Ichi’s initial feelings about her involvement changes when she discovers Banki may know the whereabouts of the man she is seeking.

Co-starring Shido Nakamura (RED CLIFF, LETTERS FROM IWO JIMA), Yosuke Kubozuka (PING PONG) and Takao Osawa (SKY HIGH), and with fight choreography by Hiroshi Kuze (responsible for the amazing sword fights in many of Akira Kurosawa’s epics, including RAN) and a superb musical score by award winning composer Lisa Gerrard (GLADIATOR), ICHI is a sublime and welcome addition to the “Zatoichi” movie canon.

ICHI (cert. 15 tbc) is released by Manga Entertainment and opens at selected UK cinemas on 10th July 2009.

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  • C.S.

    Can’t wait for this film to come out. When I saw the tralier, I was blown away….

  • http://www.wirthconsulting.org Mo Kraak

    I love everything “Ichi” and have watched nearly every Zatoichi film several times over. However, I am still waiting on ZATOICHI MEETS THE ONE-ARMED SWORDSMAN from Netflix though. Needless to say, I’m anxious to see this version of ICHI!

  • WuxiaFan

    I have the Malaysian DVD of ICHI and I LOVED it! The gorgeous Haruka Ayase does an excellent job as Ichi and her swordplay looked very good. The story does have it’s drawbacks, but overall its an excellent film!

  • Kage no Goddamn

    ICHI is a very bad movie. The ending is unbelievably bad. How can you end a movie where the lead character doesn’t even take part in the last battle. Japan USED to be a country of great filmmakers. Now they cast everyone from boy and girl bands and no one has any traditional training and they give us pablum like Ichi. Watch Katsu’s ZatoIchi and don’t waste your time and money on this poorly written start turn for a pop singer with the shelf life of raw fish.