by Tyler E. Martin » Wed Jun 23, 2010 8:27 pm
Zatoichi's Conspiracy. The last of the original run of Zatoichi films, and another of my favorites. Ichi returns to his hometown, only to find that an old childhood friend, now a successful merchant, has arrived at the same time with a ruthless plan to use the village that reared him for his own financial gain. Kaiju fans will find a number of familiar faces here: Takashi Shimura (as a respected grandfatherly figure), Yoshio Tsuchiya (the town superintendent), and Eiji Okada (the main villain). Another splendid performance by star Shintaro Katsu, terrific music by Akira Ifukube, and some entertaining sword work round out the package.