Plot: What’s it about?
Zatoichi (Shintaro Katsu) expected a simple, routine ride on a ferry, but he wound up in loads of trouble, as usual. He encounters the Banyu clan, a powerful group that has some low ranking thugs aboard the ferry. These thugs are on the watch for a mysterious woman, though Zatoichi is unsure of why she is wanted. He soon runs into trouble of his own with the clan however, when a game of dice turns sour. The blind swordsman hustles the clan’s retainers, a move which leaves them in a most foul mood indeed. The trek did yield a new friend though, a chess obsessed samurai who pledges to lend a hand if needed. Once back on land, Zatoichi does have to call upon his new samurai friend, when he needs to round up some cash. A young woman seeks the money to buy some medicine for a sick child. As he deals with that situation, he comes across a wounded samurai who is on a quest of his own. He and his sister want to track down the man who killed their father, even if it costs them their own lives. The sole witness to the murder has been killed, which puts a padlock on their mission, but defeat is not an option. As time passes, Zatoichi begins to see some connections between all of the people he has encountered. But can he make sure justice is served to all those involved?
This is installment number twelve in the Zatoichi series, which means the franchise had been around for a while by this point. As we all know, most movies can’t even spawn a single sequel that is even passable, let alone eleven dynamic sequels. But then again, Zatoichi is no mere mortal series and with over twenty sequels, the franchise remains potent. In Zatoichi and the Chess Expert, we’re given ample doses of new twists, but the tried and true elements remain also. As fans know, this can be a brutal, violent series and this volume is no exception, though graphic bloodshed isn’t as strong in this picture. Even so, the sword battles are just as intense and in some cases more intense, as the fights are quite extensive. So we’re treated to more complex, longer lasting duels and I think that works well in this case. The fights never drag on or become dull, they’re just longer than usual and make good use of the added duration. The story has some nice twists also, which help to keep the material fresh. Zatoichi is shown in more human lights here, which brings more depth to the role and proves there is still room to explore his world. All in all, a terrific installment of Zatoichi that delivers all the expected elements, plus some cool new touches. As usual, Home Vision’s treatment is solid, so don’t hesitate to grab this release.
Video: How does it look?
Zatoichi and the Chess Expert is presented in 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen. This is an impressive visual presentation, thanks in no small part to Home Vision’s restoration efforts. As a result, we’re presented with a clean source print that has only minor defects, as well as a sharp, clean overall image to experience. The colors have a little flatness in a few scenes, but seem bright enough in most, so no complaints there. As far as contrast, I found detail to be high and black levels look good, leaving me to score this one rather well. I commend Home Vision for their work here and of course, hope to see this kind of transfer on all their Zatoichi releases.
Audio: How does it sound?
A mono soundtrack is present here, which preserves the original Japanese language and while not too memorable, this is a solid track. I heard little in terms of distortion, while hiss is absent and that’s great news, without a doubt. The music here is quite good and is well presented, though of course, it isn’t too expansive, thanks to mono’s limitations. The sound effects follow the same order, as they sound good, but also restrained to some extent. But this isn’t exactly new showroom material, so I think we can cut it some slack. The dialogue is sharp and never gets muffled much, so even if you can’t understand what they’re saying, at least it sounds clean. This disc also includes English subtitles, should you need those.
Supplements: What are the extras?
This disc includes the film’s theatrical trailer.
