Excited at first to see a new Ichi movie, I was very disappointed as the movie dragggggged on. Having seen I believe every movie in the series, and some of the TV shows from the 70's, I can say with some validity that this movie has very little in common with any of them. Character name and cane sword, yes, but that's about it. The humanity, pathos and occasional comic touch, as played by Katsu (the original Zatoichi) is almost totally absent.
The script and plot are very hard to follow (and this from an avid follower of Japanese films). If you're not familiar with the feudal Japan of a few hundred years ago, and the role played by the yakuza there, you'll be totally lost. The movie is probably at least 30 minutes too long, with many scenes screaming for a less self-indulgent director/editor. I found myself frequently hitting fast-forward to shorten lengthy scenes of just walking, sitting, etc.
To top it off, Zatoichi films have at their core the singular hook of a blind swordsman prevailing against multiple foes. Unfortunately, the swordplay is very weak, and not staged very well. The actor playing Ichi looks as if he spent a few weeks learning iaido for the first time. Katsu's Ichi was heroic and larger-than-life, and there's just never a sense of that essential quality in this movie.
Finally, without giving anything away, I will just say the ending is arguably the worst ending I have seen in many decades. Watch ANY other of the dozens of Zatoichi movies, or the 100+ movie-quality TV episodes, and you'll be much happier.
