Zatoichi and the One-Armed Swordsman (1971) User Reviews

Japan's Top Action Character meets Hong Kong's Top Action Character

[ChungMo · 8/10 · 26 December 2006]

An interesting meeting of action film genres at a time when one was ebbing into the twilight and the other just starting to go. It would be only a few more years before the chambara genre peters out (but not before some more great films are made) and mostly moves to television. The wuxia (swordplay) genre (where the One Armed Swordsman comes from) split off into the kung fu genre which hits it's stride with the coming of Bruce Lee's "Big Boss" and Wang Yu's self-directed "One Armed Boxer" (no relation to the swordsman), the same year this Zatoichi film is released. The great years of kung fu cinema were just around the corner.

Wang Kong (the One-Armed Swordsman) arrives in Japan to find a temple where a Japanese monk has invited Wang Kong to live. Unable to speak Japanese at all, Wang Kong chances upon a traveling Chinese family of entertainers who have made Japan their home. A husband, wife and young boy, they like Japan better then China. Accompanying Wang Kong to the temple the four encounter a procession of samurai transporting specially prepared abalone destined for the Shogun. Everyone must get off the road and let the procession pass or suffer dire consequences. Unfortunately, the little Chinese boy runs after a kite and is set upon by a sword swinging samurai. The mother protects her child but at the cost of her life, the father is killed too. Agast at the cruelty of the samurai, Wang Kong jumps in and kills a number of them. The little boy runs off and is separated from Wang Kong who retreats from further battle. The samurai decide to kill all the innocent people who witnessed the scene and blame the carnage on the "crazed Chinaman". Zatoichi comes upon the frightened child and decides to take care of him. Later the fugitive Wang Kong meets Zatoichi but the two have a really hard time communicating and Wang Kong is very suspicious of Zatoichi's motives. Of course this being a Zatoichi film, an evil yakuza gang gets involved and you know what's going to happen to them.

The first thing that strikes me is how different the One-Armed Swordman films were from the Zatoichi films in terms of sophistication. The HK films of the time were still very stagy in look and acting where the Japanese films were well versed in film techniques and acted in a more natural manner. I am not a great fan of Chang Cheh's "One Armed Swordsman" but many people really like it and it deserves it's significance in film history. It was also apparently very popular in Japan.

This particular outing with the character is arguably the best produced One-Armed Swordsman film with actor Wang Yu as the character. There are a few issues with the film, the most serious is that the producers assumed that you already know Wang Kong is missing an arm and fights with a broken sword. Anyone unfamiliar with the backstory is going to be confused but the film will still be watchable. Second, the highly refined and excellent sword choreography for Zatoichi really makes the faithful but stagy non-weapon kung fu for Wang Kong look not so good. The kung fu sword work comes off fine however. The Japanese producers were very respectful to the One-Armed Swordman mythos and kept the character true to the original film.

The film, while not the absolute best of the Zatoichi series, is very good and touches on a number of issues. There are colorful characters the liven up the film and you will not be wasting your time watching. Recommended.

Zatoichi films? This is a good place to start...

[chriscoates · 8/10 · 31 August 2005]

One of the more accessible films in the series due to its simpler story (two heroes ally themselves against an evil but then find themselves on different sides due to a mis-understanding). Though the Zatoichi films often vary in style and in tone, the themes (treat others as you would wish to be treated, be true to your word, gamble within your means, etc), remain constant. Here, the language barrier between Zatoichi and The One-Armed Swordsman (one is Chinese, the other Japanese), is a theme that will have had a greater resonance for its native audience rather than those in the west, but the story works well just as a straight-forward adventure yarn. Shintarô Katsu is as reliably great as ever. By turns dynamic and exacting with the sword, warm of heart with the just and needy, steely and unmerciful of the greedy and vindictive. Zatoichi is one of the great movie heroes. Shintarô Katsu, one of the great heroic actors. If you haven't seen these films then you could do worse than start here.

Chinese and Japanese steel plus drama

[bighouseaz · 8/10 · 13 March 2005]

Katsu's sword work is very good in this film. This is especially true in the scene where he rescues one of the characters on the road and also in the fights he has against the boss's minions. Katsu's sword work is especially tight, direct, and brutal.

But most viewers will be more interested in the meeting of two cinema worlds, Chinese kung fu meets Japanese chambara. The story can be seen as being very symbolic if you think of the complex and tragic recent history between Japan and China.

Zatoichi and Yasuda (the director) could be making a political and/or cultural statement here. In this story a Chinese man is good, a Japanese priest is very bad, and the Shogun's laws are shown to be absolutely absurd. In the end, the confrontation between Zatoichi and Wang comes about because of a series of misunderstandings caused by their inability to communicate with one another. The real tragedy in this tale is that Zatoichi and Wang have very similar characters. They are both honorable men who defend the weak and the poor against the strong and the wealthy. It's a tragedy that they end up confronting one another.

I have heard that there is an alternative version of the film with a different ending. I can imagine how it would end, but would very much like to see it. Hopefully someday it will become available.

There is some good action in this entry in the series by both Katsu Shintaro and Jimmy Wang. Zatoichi Meets the One Armed Swordsman is good entertainment for the fan of martial arts films.

Can't we all just get along?

[masercot · 18 February 2002]

I haven't seen a bad Zatoichi movie yet!

This movie has the standard lost child and yakuza; however, it also has a conflict between two forces of good. It's very frustrating for those of us who like black and white battles. It also humanizes the characters (as if Zatoichi could be more humanized).

No spoilers here. If you've enjoyed other Zatoichi's, you won't be disappointed by this one.

Zatoichi meets the One Armed Swordsman

[Tweekums · 7/10 · 9 January 2017]

This story sees Wang Gang, a one armed Chinese swordsman, travelling through Japan; he is pleased to meet a Chinese family but things take a tragic turn when their young child accidentally blocks an official procession… an offence that means instant death. Wang Gang steps in and saves the boy but that leads to the samurai in the procession massacring most of those present including the boy's parents. Shortly afterwards Zatoichi, the blind swordsman, finds the boy with his dying father and agrees to look after him. Not long after that they meet up with Wang Gang although it is hard for them to communicate as he speaks no Japanese and Zatoichi speaks no Chinese. The three of them eventually take shelter with a local family. While Zatoichi is out the samurai attack and it is assumed that he betrayed them. He does what he can to put things right but unable to talk to each things could easily end in tragedy.

This was a solid samurai film with lots of sword fighting but not too much blood. The story is simple but effective; the bad guys are definitely bad and the good guys have an enjoyable degree of ambiguity. Shintarô Katsu and Yu Wang did fine jobs as Zatoichi and Wang Gang respectively; I particularly enjoyed the scenes where they try to converse but only misunderstand each other. Having not seen other instalments in this film series I can't say how this compares but as a stand-alone film it is rather fun; lots of action and some laughs.

These comments are based on watching the film in Japanese and Chinese with English subtitles. In the version I saw it was obvious which language was being spoken as the Chinese dialogue has italic subtitles.

Clash of Cultures

[USSEnterpriseF · 9/10 · 12 July 2007]

Every culture has it's own fictional world that some obsess and linger in. America has James Bond, a film series spanning over 20 films and 6 actors! Japan has Zatoichi! But, the difference is that only one actor is synonymous with Zatoichi, and that's Shintarô Katsu. And even though the series has it's share of clichés (as do all long running movie series) that are even present in this film Zatoichi has a message that resonates through all his films, and that is one of how to treat people. In this Outing he is paired with The One-Armed Swordsman (Jimmy Yu Wang), another famous Asian Swordsman who hails from Shaw Bros. of China.

This film which features amazing and thrilling action sequences also has a thoughtful side as frustrating scenes between Zatoichi and The One-Armed Swordsman take place, as neither can understand or interpret each others speech which leads to misunderstandings and eventual tragedy. Zatoichi encounters The One-Armed Swordsman with a child in hand that he has rescued from a band of Samurai. But Zatoichi follows and helps the two until he returns from getting food to only find them gone. They are wanted, and Zatoichi is forced to brutally fight to save the lives of those affected. With this film you do not come away with a fully mesmerized Summer Blockbuster mood, but it makes you go away with a sad and epic feeling that is induced by the films exciting and symbolic ending that proves the depth of this series' theme - "Treat others as you want to be treated"

Very Good .You will love it

[chico-26 · 10/10 · 8 August 1999]

The 1- armed swordsman series is very good . Zatoishi series is also very good.This film however is the best of both the 1_armed swordman films and Zatoishi series. There is a duel between Zatoishi and the 1-armed swordsman in the end.They cant understand each other because of the language barrier.The duel is splendid but the result... Too bad this film is not avalaible as VHS

Well, maybe there is a LITTLE bit of a spoiler

[JFrawley032759 · 8/10 · 14 April 2005]

Many people I otherwise respect believe this is among the best Zatoichi movies: I have yet to see one I didn't like, but somehow this one is just not as pleasing to me as many of the others. (Possibly my DVD is not the very best.) In any case, the behavior of Zatoichi is quite a bit more foolish and bloodthirsty than usual, and the skill level and intelligence of the one armed swordsman (Jimmy Wang Yu) are reduced from that in his own films, so that his fate is perhaps other than what it would be in a film made by and for the Chinese. To my taste, Jimmy Wang Yu's charisma is invisible.

All this being said, this is a reasonably good film, and should not disappoint greatly.

A nice change of pace for the aging series

[planktonrules · 8/10 · 13 June 2009]

The Chinese film, THE ONE ARMED SWORDSMAN, might just be the greatest martial arts film of all-time. It certainly impressed me and I was brilliantly choreographed throughout. In a very, very odd merging of genres, this Shaw Brothers creation from Hong Kong now meets Zatoichi--the star of almost 30 adventure films. While these two characters were similar with their prowess with the sword, who would have thought of taking characters from two places so far apart as Hong Kong and Japan (a distance of about 1800 miles plus a journey across the Sea of Japan)?! And, not surprisingly, Wang Kong (the one-armed swordsman) speaks Chinese throughout the film--with Japanese subtitles on the side. How he and a blind Japanese man will meet and interact sure intrigued me--I'm just surprised that I saved this strange film to be the final Zatoichi film I would watch and review. Talk about a weird plot!

The film begins with Wang Kong (also called 'Wang Kang' in the film) meeting a fellow Chinese man and his family in Japan. Both are surprised to see a countryman in this far-off land. In a problem caused by a cultural misunderstanding, when a high Japanese official and his entourage pass, the family didn't know they were supposed to grovel on the ground (Japanese custom for all peasants) as they passed. Instead, when the little boy's kite gets away from him, he runs towards the procession and his mother and father are cut down like dogs--and the one-armed man kills several in the procession before he escapes. A bit later, Ichi happens upon the victims of this assault. There he finds the little boy and he brings him to town. However, the people in the town are looking for the one-armed man--or anyone who is Chinese, so it's up to Ichi to protect the child's identity. Fortunately, the Chinese boy DOES understand Japanese but he made for a really lousy interpreter.

Much of the film consists of the baddies trying to capture and kill both the child and the one-armed man to teach everyone a lesson in obedience. Additionally, because of the language barrier and the child being essentially stupid, the good guys kept assuming that Ichi was a traitor and was helping the forces of evil to capture these Chinese people. Only late in the film is the truth known--but still, for some odd reason, there is the requisite battle between Ichi and the one-armed man.

Overall, there isn't that much fighting by the one-armed man until late in the film. Additionally, the choreography and skills demonstrated aren't up to the standards of the original one-armed man film. Still, it's a nice diversion and offers a lot of new material in an aging martial arts series. Not great, but very good.

By the way, as you watch the ending, note the background music and style--it's pure Spaghetti Western, as is Ichi's playing the whistle like Charles Bronson did in ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST.

Zatoichi is better than this.

[bletcherstonerson · 5/10 · 3 October 2015]

Yes, I am probably the only viewer that did not like this film, and for one reason...superman jumping ability. I hate that effect. When I see this in films trying to be gritty, it evokes such puerile rage that I feel like burning the world down. Seriously...it's a stupid film effect, used in this movie when the one armed swordsman flies up in the trees, and up the mountain side, one time he does it with a young child in tow, AMAZING!!!!! The reason I kept this at a 5, reasoning that it is still a Zatoichi movie, and that element is still great , however viewers are used to better films than this.

I also am a believer that you can't throw the baby out with the bath water. Most of this film is likable, but the descent into cinematic laziness with the super jumping is ridiculous and turns a good story line of disconnected cultures and languages into a Saturday morning cartoon. Don't get me wrong, there are great performances in this movie, and if I were a viewer that could bypass the Chinese art of flying , then I would give this film a 9. Still, it is worth watching and renting, but I would avoid shelling out 19.99, the lowest price I have seen..to own it, no matter how rare.

Perfect combination of Chinese and Japanese elements

[kluseba · 9/10 · 23 March 2018]

Zatoichi Meets the One-Armed Swordsman is the twenty-second entry in the Japanese franchise about the blind masseur, skilled swordsman and lowly yakuza. This creative movie is a Hong Kong-Japanese cooperation with one director, one genre and one protagonist from each country. The story revolves around a Chinese swordsman who has recently arrived in Japan who meets a family of Chinese artists consisting of a father, a mother and a boy. The boy accidentally disturbs the procession of a local clan when his kite flies away. The pitiless yakuza attack the boy. The parents try to protect him but are brutally slain just as all witnesses on the road. The boy is however saved by the Chinese swordsman. They meet Zatoichi on their way who decides to help them but the language barrier makes communication quite complicated. Things turn sour when the three are helped out by a family of farmers but quickly discovered by the raging yakuza. The family's parents are slain, the daughter gets tortured and the Chinese swordsman and the boy must go into hiding in a temple. Zatoichi was on his way to get some information about the samurai and some water for his companions during the massacre. The Chinese swordsman now wrongfully believes Zatoichi betrayed him and the farmer's daughter also holds an unjustified grudge against the blind swordsman. Zatoichi needs to clear his name, fight the yakuza mob and save the farmer's daughter as well as the Chinese swordsman and the orphan boy.

There are numerous elements that make this movie stand out as one of the very best entries in the franchise. First of all, the combination of Hong Kong and Japanese cinema is fantastic. Perfectly choreographed sword fights meet elegant martial arts combats. The fight sequences are beautiful to watch but also include some bloody and brutal elements here and there to spice things up efficiently. The movie almost equally uses Japanese chambara and Chinese wu xia techniques. The two protagonists are also very famous in their respective countries and represent how seemingly disadvantaged outsiders can rise to heroism. Zatoichi and Wang Kang could be described as soulmates which makes their fates even more tragic. Secondly, the movie has a very strong message. If you overcome the language barrier, you will realize how close people actually are. The film promotes a message of communication, cooperation and respect. Thirdly, the movie also has an intriguing story as it deals with topics such as authority, distrust and manipulation. There are a lot of betrayals and conspiracies happening throughout the film that keep it very interesting until the very end. Few movies in the franchise have such a fluid pace and are entertaining to watch from start to finish without any lengths.

There really isn't much to criticize about this movie that should appeal to chambara and wu xia collectors and fans alike. The supporting characters could have been a little bit more fleshed out but that's the only element that could have been improved.

Overall, Zatoichi Meets the One-Armed Swordsman is a highlight in the Zatoichi franchise and will please fans of old date as much as those who are rather fans of the Shaw Brothers character. This movie combines Chinese and Japanese cultures perfectly. In addition to being highly entertaining, this film has a positive message that still matters nowadays. This movie has therefore aged very well but also has the classic structure of a Zatoichi movie that fans like so much. This film is equally innovative and traditional which makes it particularly enjoyable. Zatoichi Meets the One-Armed Swordsman should appeal to a wide audience and deserves more acclaim and attention that it has gotten so far. While the combination of Zatoichi and Yojimbo a year earlier was a mismatch, the combination of Zatoichi and Wang Gang is a perfect match. Give it a try!

Don't bring a knife to a sword fight...

[poe426 · 8/10 · 14 October 2011]

The paring- uh, sorry: pairing- of Japanese swordsman Zatoichi and Chinese swordsman Wang seems like a good idea on the face of it (like having King Kong slugging it out with Gojira, say). Unfortunately, a few things get lost in the translation, so to speak. Like YOJIMBO, Zatoichi (or "Ichi," as he's referred to here) is a scruffy but capable swordsman; not as hard-edged as, say, HANZO, but quick on the draw and with a sense of moral righteousness- not unlike Wang, who is obliged to wipe out a samurai procession when the samurai (yakuza) start whacking innocents right and left. Wang then becomes, by default, the guardian of a (now) parentless boy, Shaolong. When Zatoichi and Wang meet, their languages prove a barrier they can't overcome. They seem to more or less get along until an unlikely third party throws a monkey wrench into their relationship. The climactic confrontation between the two is less than satisfying: Wang Yu, still using the VERY short blade he used in the two previous ONE-ARMED SWORDSMAN movies, is at a great disadvantage against a character armed with a traditional Japanese sword. Wang gets the short end of the stick in the end (which seems appropriate, since he brings a knife to a sword fight), and the fight itself is very brief... but also kind of disappointing. Although the movie is beautifully crafted, Wang Yu seems to be little more than an afterthought throughout (remove him from the film altogether and it's another standard Zatoichi movie- which means it's pretty good, anyway).

Zatoichi vs One Armed Swordsman Vs Yakuza Vs Evil Monk

[Genkinchan · 8/10 · 8 April 2022]

I started watching this movie after the original, sequel and reboot of the one armed swordsman here indeed Zatoichi is a better swordsman because it was his film and made in a Japanese production house... the movie and cinematography are indeed better than of Hong Kong both of them have equal screen time which is remarkable to say the least

Both of the actor acted brilliantly especially the kid who is fluent in mandarin and Japanese which acts as a translator between both of the swordsman

I liked the ending where Wang yu was killed by Zatoichi which I did not expect not like superman vs Batman and Godzilla Vs Kong which everyone lives to fight another day... the ending certainly make a point which you just could not get it now a day.. because the producer have to pleased certain fans.

Japan vs Hong Kong, atypical crossover entry in the saga

[alucinecinefago · 15 May 2020]

The following review is an extract from the book "Shintaro Katsu´s Zatoichi: Complete guide to all movies", which is now available on Amazon.

A family of Chinese acrobats travels through Japan performing their shows. After one of their shows a compatriot of them appears on stage; a martial artist named Wang Kang. He only has one arm, the left arm, because the other lost it in a fight. The Chinese warrior came to Japan in search of the temple of Fukuryu-ji.

Soon Wang becomes friends with the other Chinese; a couple and their little son Shaolong. They know the address of the temple and agree to take him there. On the way there is a procession of samurai carrying offerings for the shogun. "It is forbidden to cross with them, we must wait for them to pass, so is the law in Japan" says one of the Chinese. However, a gust of wind takes his son's kite to the road where the samurai parade takes place. Little Shaolong runs after it, stumbling and interrupting the sacred procession. The indignant escorts of the procession want to punish him for it, but Wang Kang quickly intervenes, thus initiating a fight between the one-armed Chinese swordsman and the Japanese samurai. The latter assassinate Shaolong's unarmed Chinese parents, as well as others bystanders, producing an authentic massacre. In the end, Wang and the child manage to escape, although separately.

The news of what has just happened spreads quickly in the region, but in a distorted way. The official version states that a dangerous mad Chinese attacked the Samurai procession, thus provoking the carnage. Now, this foreigner is wanted by provincial officials and also by yakuza clans who cooperate with the authorities and hope to receive the juicy reward offered for the head of the foreign fugitive.

(...)

This is one of the most atypical films in Zatoichi's saga, which with was approaching towards its end (it is the twenty-second film of 26). It is a crossover in which the best Japanese swordsman of film series (who is blind) and the most "dexterous" Chinese martial artist (who is actually left-handed, as he lacks a right arm) share the poster. Wang Kang's character is played by Yu Wang (who is not as popular as Bruce Lee). Wang is the protagonist of a series of films shot in Hong Kong about the fictitious figure of the "One-armed swordsman". Like Zatoichi in Japan or El Santo in Mexico, this "one-armed swordsman" is a popular character with his own series of action films, including choreographed kung-fu fights.

In "Shin Zatoichi: Yabure!" The cultural and linguistic confusions between Ichi and one-armed Wang are memorable. After the final duel between the two (which although it is done with knives has enormous aesthetic similarities with the western-genre) the two, very equal, proclaim that "If we had understood each other, we would not have had to fight...".

The soundtrack is composed by Isao Tomita (one of the fathers of ambient music, and among the first to use synthesizers), who also created the music for the second film of the trilogy "Hanzo the Razor" and the episodes of the series "Oshi samurai".

Zatoichi Meets the One-Armed Swordsman (1971)

[mevmijaumau · 1 May 2017]

It's rare to see that the 22nd installment of a franchise gets to be its finest. I'm still not exactly sure if Zatoichi Meets the One-Armed Swordsman is my exact favorite so far, but it's definitely up there. In the review for the last film I said that that it'll be hard to make the series interesting or fresh for the final few outings, but #22 does it by not following the plot formula that the previous films established and by putting Zatoichi against a charismatic, capable rival.

It's a crossover with the One-Armed Swordsman films starring Jimmy Wang Yu, the third Zatoichi crossover in a row. The Mifune one was utterly meh, and the Nakadai one was barely even a crossover in how he was used in a small side-plot, so it's easy to say this one surpasses them with ease. Zatoichi and the One-Armed Swordsman cannot understand each other because of the language barrier, which sets in motion a very interesting story, but also stands as a simple, but oddly effective metaphor for the cultural differences and conflicts between China and Japan.

To add to this, the final duel in this film definitely doesn't have a predictable outcome like the Zatoichi vs Yojimbo one had. I was actually surprised at it. Also, the sword-fighting scenes are just excellent all throughout the film. The only real weakness is lack of an unique visual style, but that really goes for any Zatoichi film directed by Kimiyoshi Yasuda.

Highlight of the film: a thug getting his arm chopped off by Zatoichi and not even realizing it until he sees it in front of himself.