Zatoichi's Cane Sword (1967)

Not rated, but there's the old standard murder with swords business that we've grown so comfortable with.  I watched this about a week ago, so I apologize for not having anything specific, but I kind of remember some almost nudity in the film.  Listen, Zatoichi movies have made their beds.  We know what to expect in these films.

DIRECTOR: Kimiyoshi Yasuda

I'm going to start doing these movies differently.  I don't know why I'm writing about this now, but I feel like writing it is somehow a contract that I have to abide by.  I am never going to get through the Zatoichi box set at this pace.  I think I'm going to watch all of the movies on the disc back-to-back-to-back.  I know it probably will be nearly impossible to write about these movies, but I just need to knock these out.  The only problem?  Zatoichi's Cane Sword is the last film on the disc.

Sometimes, I watch these movies and get mad.  I honestly do.  It's so hard to watch Zatoichi movies and find no changes in the story.  Part of this is on me.  I don't have to complete franchises.  But I love having said that I have done everything in a series.  I'm even reading the non-Ian Fleming James Bond novels.  But I like these stories as long as something is different in them.  I'm going to give Zatoichi's Cane Sword some points for its A-plot.  The key concept in this film is that Zatoichi is not allowed to use the eponymous weapon in this one.  Because of overuse and slight flaws, Zatoichi's sword has one more cut left in it.  I'm sorry, that's not even fair.  He's got one more kill.  I love how the blacksmith can recognize that.  It specifically has one more kill and that's something that actually can change the dynamics of the story.

One of the major problems I had with The Batman was the reliance of a giant action setpiece in the third act.  Now, before I really go into this, I would like to point out that Zatoichi does murder a bunch of dudes at the end of the movie.  As much as I liked this one for being a little bit different, it ultimately follows the same rules for a lot of Zatoichi movies and has the protagonist butcher scores of dudes with a sword.  That still happens.  Back to The Batman and Zatoichi.  The first two thirds of both movies are drastic departures from the other movies featuring the same protagonist.  Batman and Zatoichi movies tend to be a lot of violence throughout and we know that both characters are going to win their fights because they're Batman and Zatoichi, respectively.  These are both characters that have been trumped up to guaranteed-win status.  There's almost no threat to these characters because they've been Mary Sue'd to oblivion, ultimately relieving the tension that has been placed upon what should be suspenseful situations. But The Batman created a story that is fundamentally mental gymnastics ends with this big brawl involving Riddler copycats and blowing stuff up.

The thing that makes Zatoichi's Cane Sword work is that the story hinges on him trying to figure out ways to redefine himself in the wake of a realization.  Now, if you were anything like me, you were asking "Why can't he just get another sword that isn't a cane?" Sure, the movie doesn't really talk about that.  I mean, the cane sword kills a lot of dudes because most of his foes are surprised to see what appears to be an unarmed man open a fresh can of killing upon trained assassins out of nowhere.  But really, that's also the job of a sword.  We live in the world of Zatoichi.  So much of these movies ask us to ignore basic conventions.  It never answers how Zatoichi is better than sighted opponents or how he solves the dice thing every time.  Heck, in this one, we're not really allowed to question how Zatoichi trips on barrels that bump into his knees.  But the cool thing is that, one of the recurring themes of Zatoichi is that he doesn't want to be Zatoichi. That idea is now getting a little played out because we realize that, if there's a problem he's going to face it head-on because he'll realize that the greater good is going to overwhelm his desire for a peaceful existence.

But the notion of the cane sword having a degree of fragility to it, a sense or mortality, makes the problem physically verifiable.  The problem has been taken out of his hands.  We know that he's going to use it.  I mean, that's the Chekhov's gun of the whole film.  It's called Zatoichi's Cane Sword.  That thing is going to get used.  But the extra layer to that notion is that Zatoichi isn't just trying to embrace a peaceful lifestyle.  It's the knowledge that, if the sword breaks, he dies.  What the movie does extraordinarily well (and I'm not really sure how it pulls this off) is make you understand that there's a sacrificial element to the blade.  The Macguffin and the protagonist are linked inexorably and that Zatoichi isn't attracted to the violence. He's genuinely a hero because the use of that sword means death.  In the dream sequence, we see the breaking of the blade and the imminent death that occurs immediately after the shattering of the blade.  Yet, the third act begins with Zatoichi making the choice to use the blade, despite the almost certain death.  

When the blade doesn't break, there's some stuff to unpack.  Ultimately, it becomes the story of how Zatoichi, with his Incredible Hulk Bill Bixby-like journey is an inspiration to others.  I mean, it's a little telegraphed.  I can't deny that it is a little telegraphed.  These movies aren't complex.  But the story doesn't become about Zatoichi.  It becomes about the people around him.  The blacksmith was so moved by Zatoichi's sacrifice, coupled with the artistry of the sword, that he was moved to repair the sword instead of hoarding it for himself.  He sees the sword as something sacred, ultimately acknowledging that the sword can only be complete in the hands of a master like Zatoichi.  I can't tell you that the blacksmith sees his own death and trades Zatoichi's intended sacrifice for himself.  That's a stretch, but it does feel like that a bit.  It's what makes Zatoichi's Cane Sword work better than the final act of The Batman.  The Batman's third act feels tacked on, like it needs to be there because Batman needs to fight people.  Cane Sword ends with a fight that, for once, feels earned.  Maybe it is a bit silly and goes on longer than it needs to, but it is the natural resolution for a character who has been through stuff.  It, for the first time in a long time in this series, feels like Zatoichi is making a choice against his better judgment and that's cool in the story.

But is the movie great?  No.  Absolutely not.  I mean, we still have a lot of those same beats that we get from other Zatoichi movies.  Heck, in some ways, Cane Sword doubles down on tropes that we've seen painfully beat into the series up to this point.  My goodness, the gambling?  I have been complaining about the reliance of gambling as a means to show that Zatoichi is in charge in these films and this movie only locks it canonically in.  What started as a masseur who enjoyed his bit of gambling from time-to-time has turned into Zatoichi full-on deciding that is his means of income.  Everything in this movie keeps coming back to those stupid dice.  While I will give Cane Sword some leeway in terms of complication of story because it does have a more approachable B-story than other films in this series, there are desperate attempts to complicate the narrative to stretch out the film's runtime. There are characters who seem important that are barely in the movie.  I want to be invested in them, but so much of the movie is in the dialogue about what characters have done off-camera.  

So good things?  Physically verifiable problem for Zatoichi to solve.  It actually changes the dynamics of the story and brings us something plausible with the ending.  But in terms of going back to the same well for story beats?  Yeah, not a fan of that.