Zatoichi, the wandering masseur and master swordsman, is a mercenary hero with a difference: he's blind, and no less deadly for it. In his debut, Ichi shuffles into a gangster-run town like a wry con man, fleecing the dim-bulb gambling thugs and sponging off a local mob boss who wants the deadly Ichi on his side in an impending gang war. Released the same year Akira Kurosawa unleashed Yojimbo, stocky Shintaro Katsu's modest and soft-spoken Ichi couldn't be more different from the dynamic Toshiro Mifune's swaggering and arrogant Yojimbo. Director Kenji Misume can't match Kurosawa's searing cynicism or dynamic action, but when Ichi finally lets loose after avoiding conflict for the entire film, his spare, sudden attack makes a startling contrast to the usual flashing swords and furious movements. Zatoichi returned in 25 sequels and a long-running TV series, always played by Shintaro Katsu.

The television personality, movie star, director, and best-selling author Takeshi (Beat) Kitano reincarnates the character of Zatoichi, a beloved figure in Japanese pop culture. Sightless, Zatoichi wanders the countryside seeking work as a humble masseur, cutting down evildoers when they cross his path. The movie is not without its crude pleasures, such as watching the near-comatose Zatoichi suddenly step into action, becoming a human Cuisinart. There is also a trippy strangeness to the whole production: gags when you least expect them, an exuberant dance number at the end, some wild synthesizer music. But Kitano, with his slapped-together filmmaking, is relying heavily on the built-in affection for his hero. In Japanese. -Michael Agger