Fight, Zatoichi, Fight is one of the best in the series yet, and this is saying a lot considering how good every film is. Shintaro Katsu lays out possibly his finest acting performance which adds even more depth to this great character, while director Kenji Misumi (The Tale of Zatoichi) returns to offer a series of visually poetic and arresting images not soon forgotten.

Japanese chambara films have long held a connection with the Westerns of Hollywood and this film tips it’s hat further in that direction with an opening score straight out of a spaghetti Western. The main plot also shares strong similarities to a John Wayne Western entitled 3 Godfathers (1948), where three outlaws come across a dying mother in the desert and vow to bring her infant to safety. Having given up his place in a palanquin to a woman and her infant, Ichi later finds that attacking samurai have killed her thinking he was inside. Guilt-ridden, Ichi learns of the father many miles away and begins a journey to return the child to its remaining parent. Even more so than On the Road, we find Ichi constantly on the move and this provides us a terrific mix of scenery and diverse situations comical, violent, and touching.

One of the great charms of this series is that Ichi, a nobleman at heart is constantly hip-deep in the most ludicrous and menial situations which makes him the champion of the commoner that he is. The opening credits focuses on his shuffling feet as they cautiously discover a large pile of dung in the road. Later on, he’s sprayed in the face with urine from the child he’s escorting and laughs it off. And as always, he’s looked down upon by the world at large.

The main struggle Ichi faces beyond caring for the child is fending off attacks from members of the Monju clan who have been hired to kill him. We know Ichi is not to be bested by these thugs and the interest in these engagements comes from his narrow focus on the child’s well being. In a barn, Ichi nonchalantly changes the child’s diapers and coos as thugs creep up on him, only to face his cane sword as Ichi immediately returns to tending the child. In another scene engineered as a brilliant crowd pleaser, Ichi is again attacked just after having put the child to sleep. As the swordsmen advance loudly, he “shushes” them and they stop in their tracks. The fight ends with Ichi shushing the remaining fighter who lets out a dying yelp as he falls dead. The filmmakers shamelessly pander to their audience, but they receive no complaints from this reviewer who relishes every minute of Ichi’s playful dominance over his enemies.

Ichi eventually hooks up with a female pickpocket, played by Hizuro Takachiho, who is hired as the baby’s nanny. She’s a calloused and conniving woman who is saved from a samurai intent on getting his stolen purse back and killing her. In a nice little twist that shows some depth on the part of the filmmakers, Ichi defuses the situation with a humble demonstration of his sword skill. Hizuro’s interplay with Ichi is really interesting as she ends up being mentored, rather than becoming a love interest.

This film really focuses on Ichi’s human side and Shintaro Katsu pulls off a magnificent performance as a man brought to tears by his growing love for this little child. It’s dramatically shown in every aspect. He dotes on the child and is as protective as any mother would be. A scene where he hires a prostitute to watch over the child so he can get one night of solid sleep is a humorous and poignant one because he never does get any sleep, although the prostitute does. He eventually brings the baby to it’s father and discovers that the man never wanted the child or the mother. This is a classic finale for the film’s story that presents Ichi with some tough choices.

All of this paternal or more appropriately maternal love taking center stage might lead you to think that Zatoichi was going soft. Hardly. The body count is sufficiently high with several outstanding fights. The real highlight is when he faces two sumo wrestlers. In the ensuing action, his cane sword is tossed several feet away and he’s suddenly attacked by more Monju men. In a very impressively stage scene, he fends off their attacks until he can reach his sword. The final fight is against one remaining Monju man with the aid of Unosuke, the child’s father, and his men. They devise a plan using fire that nearly proves fatal for Ichi and gives him a fresh challenge not seen before.

This series grows richer with every episode and Fight, Zatoichi, Fight is a fine example. The obligatory gambling scene is more exciting with Ichi having to care for the child while trying not to be cheated. Kenji’s use of long and sometimes drawn out takes draws emphasis to beautiful scenery, the actors’ performances, and a more emotive tone. This is captured perfectly by Kenji’s pause in the story for Ichi to listen to a mother’s lullaby sung to her own child as she slowly paces back and forth over a foot bridge. With many of these elements visited in previous films, it’s possible to complain that Kenji and his crew stick to an increasingly set formula. But why change perfection? Zatoichi fans will not be disappointed.

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