Shintaro Katsu

Zatoichi in Desperation

Zatoichi in Desperation

Star Shintaro Katsu sits in the director’s chair for this psychedelic and unremittingly bleak entry in the Zatoichi series, which is unlike any other in its grind-house grimness. A tale of innocence corrupted by sadistic, sleazy criminality, the film is propelled by Easy Rider–esque editing and a trippy seventies funk score by Kunihiko Murai.

Film Info

  • Japan
  • 1972
  • 95 minutes
  • Color
  • 2.35:1
  • Japanese

Available In

Collector's Set

Zatoichi: The Blind Swordsman

Zatoichi: The Blind Swordsman

Blu-ray Box Set

9 Discs

$159.96

Zatoichi in Desperation
Cast
Shintaro Katsu
Zatoichi
Kiwako Taichi
Nishikigi
Katsuo Nakamura
Ushimatsu
Asao Koike
Boss Mangoro
Kyoko Yoshizawa
Kaede
Yasuhiro Koume
Shinkichi
Joji Takagi
Kamijo
Masumi Harukawa
Ohama
Credits
Director
Shintaro Katsu
Produced by
Shintaro Katsu
Produced by
Hiroyoshi Nishioka
Original story by
Kan Shimozawa
Screenplay
Minoru Inuzuka
Cinematography
Fujio Morita
Edited by
Toshio Taniguchi
Original music
Kunhiko Murai
Art direction
Seiichi Ota

Current

Tony Rayns on the Meaning of Zatoichi
Tony Rayns on the Meaning of Zatoichi

Asian-cinema expert Tony Rayns unpacks the significance of Zatoichi’s name and the strict social hierarchy that the character so gleefully upends.

On the Road with Zatoichi
On the Road with Zatoichi

He massages, he gambles, and he’s great with a blade. Who is this blind swordsman, anyway?

By Geoffrey O'Brien