Zatoichi

I have recently completed watching (most likely) all Zatoichi films which consists of 26 series of films spanning from its first film made in 1962 to 1989 led by the same lead actor, Shintaro Katsu, and finally the last 2003 remake produced and played by Takeshi Kitano. Yes, the guy who played The Lord in Takeshi's Castle.

If you dig well-made samurai-genre movies, this is one of the best anyone can ask for. I enjoyed pretty much all of them, with the exception of a few that had real fragmented storylines. I particularly enjoyed how the series seem to improve and change due to influences over the many years. Basically tells the story of a blind masseur travelling all over Japan, almost aimlessly, helping people; getting into troubles & duels and finally walking off much move alive at the end of every film.

I personally love the ones made in the 1980s (1970; 71, 72 and 73). Those were quality. Compared to the older ones, the storylines seem to gradually become fragmented over the years. I would like to suggest that they were going in the direction of an artsy movie, incorporating music and emphasizing the japanese way of life, which is fair enough.

The 2003 remake, is probably my least preferred. I thought it went a little overboard but since it's made in the 20th century, I suppose it's fair for the remake to suit the taste of contemporary viewers.

Note: Best massacre scene comes in the 1989 "Shintaro Katsu's Zatoichi". Zatoichi slayed 30-50 henchmen in like 10 minutes.

Watch them here.