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'Kitano has come up with a completely original take on the fictional hero'
'Kitano keeps the bloody confrontations coming, with a few calm passages in-between providing some continuity between one display of virtuosity and the next. But its not only the swashbuckling that is awesome; the precision of the choreography, the seamless editing, the smooth blend of sound effects and music and the staging of each scene'
'Kitano’s dry humour is evident throughout'
'With its fountains of digital blood and relentless tempo this is a surprisingly entertaining departure for Kitano. Though there is plenty of violence, it’s impossible to take it seriously, so perfectly stylised and choreographed is each move... Kitano, playing the lead, has never been more effective in his deadpan acting'
Dan Fainaru - SCREEN INTERNATIONAL (Venice Daily)
'Kitano's ZATOICHI, which might be best described as the first samurai musical, had the press cheering'
'The fights are as funny as they are bloody but Kitano's best trick is to accomplish the shafts of humour without turning the melodrama into mere parody'
Derek Malcolm - THE GUARDIAN
'There is nothing like a mass chorus line of Japanese peasants, geishas and samurai all merrily tap-dancing away in traditional wooden-soled sandals, to lift the spirits. That's the climax of Takeshi Kitano's crowd-pleasing competition entry...'
'A little in the manner of Sergio Leone with the western, Kitano has revamped the classic genre of the samurai drama... and made it indelibly his own'
Sheila Johnston - DAILY TELEGRAPH
'An inspired and unexpected remake... this idiosyncratic, flamboyant action artifice features wild knockabout comedy, fountains of blood and a tap dance finale. Now that’s cinema!'
Tom Charity - TIME OUT (Venice Film Festival Report)
'A winning and genuinely funny mix of swordplay, mysticism and tragedy with a body count Arnie could never match. It may borrow shamelessly from Kurosawa’s SEVEN SAMURAI, but for the kids at the Odeon it will be CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON Mk II, but with more blood'
Fiachra Gibbons - THE GUARDIAN
'A Japanese Samurai romp from the maker of DOLLS and HANA-BI'
'The fight scenes are a marvel, the climax is an all-singing, all-dancing production number.'
'Nigel Andrews - FINANCIAL TIMES (Venice report)
'Kitano’s ZATOICHI is his typically humorous take on several beloved Japanese samurai archetypes... Its unique combination of expertly choreographed violence, comedic sound effects, CGI bloodwork and manic clog tap-dancing'
Nick James - THE OBSERVER
'A thoroughly enjoyable samurai romp'
Lee Marshall / Patrick Frater - SCREEN DAILY
'Kitano is in playful mood...this is a stylishly designed, highly entertaining bloodbath full of offbeat comedy and inspired musical moments'
'Invigorating spirit and infectious sense of pleasure'
'Sly humour and knowing performances strike a winning note... the film’s considerable violence also is far more playful than shocking... visually striking'
'Keiichi Suzuki’s vibrant percussion-heavy score is used inventively... the real standout, is the celebratory closing act... an exhilarating hip-hop tap dance number to pounding drums'
David Rooney - VARIETY
'A supremely stylish Wild East action epic'
'Like almost every Kitano film, ZATOICHI is steeped in balletic brutality... A striking diversion into rip-roaring adventure cinema'
Stephen Dalton - THE TIMES
'Breathes new life into one of the greatest characters in Japanese cinema…an action art movie with something for everyone.'
'Breathtaking and hugely enjoyable - reinvigorates a Japanese movie legend'
Jonathan Ross - FILM 2003/4
 'Swords’n’sake is where it’s at'
'This beautifully violent film not only equals the best of Takeshi’s output but, in terms of tone and composition, surpasses it'
'A brilliantly balanced film, that swerves between extreme violence, comic relief and moments of pure, Terrence Malick-style landscapes'
'Warm and involving, celebrating family, community and charity'
'An eye-opener for anyone basing their views of Samurai cinema on Quentin Tarantino’s lurid version'
'ZATOICHI takes us back to a nobler age, recalling both Akira Kurisawa’s 1950s classics and the epic westerns they inspired'
'Don’t miss it'
Simon Lewis - UNCUT
'Kitano combines cartoonish violence, broad pantomime and subtle asides with arresting visuals and exquisite period details to produce a piece of cult pulp that drips with arthouse style'
David Parkinson - EMPIRE (Excerpt from review only)
'The class act. The Japanese maestro Beat Kitano directs and stars in this terrific fable'
THE TIMES
'Takeshi Kitano's take on a traditional Japanese hero is a fast-paced, anarchic period romp - think Tarantino remaking Zorro. Starring Kitano himself as the blind samurai of the title, Zatoichi is one of the more human and accessible movies of his consistently excellent career: hip, smart and very entertaining.'
EMPIRE (Festival Faves - The coolest 2004 indie fare...)
'Takeshi Kitano`s samurai extravaganza is his most accessible work yet'
2004 Critics Choice - TIME OUT
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