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Movie Review: The Blind Swordsman's Cane Sword (Zatoichi tekka tabi)

A simpler entry in the series, here we get Zatoichi trying to give up his gangster life when he discovers his sword is at the end of its life. Of course, things don't work out so easily and Zatoichi gets drawn in to try to save the town from a corrupt official. I like the Zatoichi movies that more directly address Zatoichi's central conflict of being most proficient at killing people. If force is your most powerful skill, it seems, you will always wind up using it eventually. Even if you attempt to use it carefully, innocent people will be hurt, and you just hope fewer get hurt than if you didn't get involved. If only real life were as simple as Zatoichi movies, and if only the most powerful were always so pure in their intentions...