Ichi

Plot synopsis:
Ichi (市) is a goze (blind woman) who is travelling Japan in search of her mentor, who was the actual Zatoichi.
She is befriended by a travelling samurai Toma Fujihira, who tells her that he rescued her from bandits (in fact, it was Ichi who saved them both by killing the bandits). They travel to a town run by the Shirakawa, a Yakuza family who are plagued by the Banki-to, a group of mercenaries. This group is led by Banki, an evil man who is excellent in sword fighting but who has a disfigured face. Ichi is befriended by Kotaro, a boy who lives with his drunkard father.
After Ichi helps Toma win money from Chō-han, they are followed by five Bankito who demand Toma's money. After Toma refuses, he is challenged to a fight but he is unable to draw his sword. Ichi slays the gang. The Shirakawa leader's son, Toraji, arrives after the fight and assumes that it was Toma who slew the men and makes Toma his personal bodyguard. Ichi is convinced by Kotaro and his father to stay in the hope of the famed blind swordmaster, Zatoichi, passing through. Toma confesses that although he has fighting skills he is unable to draw his sword because of guilt for blinding his mother in an accident.
The Bankito plan their revenge. They kill the head of the Shirakawa. Toma is unable to defend anyone and is left unconscious. Ichi admits that it was she who killed the earlier men and after displaying her skills, the second-in-command of the Bankito is convinced and takes her to the mountains to meet their leader, Banki. After she kills two Bankito who doubted her skills, Banki attacks and defeats her. As Ichi lies injured, Banki states that he had met her mentor. The two had fought but Zatoichi would die in battle because of a fast acting disease. She is thrown into a locked ditch and left to die. As she loses consciousness, Ichi drops the bell given to her by Zatoichi.
We then see Ichi's backstory. She was born blind. While she was still a young girl, Zatoichi rescued her and left her in the care of a group of goze, giving Ichi a small bell to remember him by. Zatoichi visited her as she grew and secretly taught her the fighting techniques Zatoichi had mastered. Ichi grew up to be a musically talented and beautiful woman, as well as an accomplished sword-fighter. After one of her goze group's performances, she was raped by one of the patrons. Goze were strictly forbidden to marry and required to be celibate so she was later expelled from the goze household, even though it broke the other members' hearts. She pleaded with the man who had raped her to talk to the leader of the goze so she could go back to the group, but instead he mocked her and tried to attack her again. She was able to draw the sword she kept hidden in her cane and killed him. Ichi then travelled Japan to look for Zatoichi, who she believed was her father, and this was how she met Toma.
Toma is attacked by the members of the Yakuza clan because of his deceit, but Toraji rebukes the attackers, stating that they still need Toma's help to defeat the Bankito. Toma goes with Kotaro's reformed father to the Bankito hideout and saves Ichi. Banki swore revenge. While recovering, Ichi explained that she's searching for Zatoichi because she wanted to see him one last time before she commits suicide. Toma is able to convince her to give up the idea. Later, while she sleeps recovering from her injuries, Toma leaves her to go help the Shirakawa fight the Bankito. When Ichi wakes up Kotaro tells her about the fight that's going on in the town.
The Bankito outnumber the Shirakawa by 2 to 1. Still, Toma is unable to draw his sword. But when Banki demands Toma step forward and fight him, Toma is willing. He overcomes his guilt and is able to draw his sword. The two men fight and Toma shows everyone that he is indeed an adept swordsman. Toma inflicts a fatal strike on Banki, but Banki gives him a fatal wound as well. Toma dies in Ichi's arms and tells her not to lose hope. After Toma dies Banki tries to attack Ichi but she is able to defeat him and finally kills the clan leader, whose horribly scarred face is revealed. Fearing for their lives, the few remaining members of the Bankito flee.
Later we see Toraji rebuilding his town and assuming the leadership of his Yakuza clan. Ichi plays Toma's favorite song one last time, and is seen at his grave with Kotaro. Intending to bring Toma's katana to his mother's grave, she bids her friend Kotaro farewell and give him a little bell as a keepsake (the same gift that Zatoichi had given her when she was young). She said that Kotaro was right all along, that she needed light for her journey, and then departs.

Tags: tragedy, revenge, cult, violence

Review:
Fact is, ICHI is a fairly traditional version of the Blind Swordsman, though Haruka Ayase has a one-two punch of strong acting and good lucks.
Having seen other movies about the Zatoichi legend and having been less than entertained and having ended up ejecting the disc about half way through, it was with some hesitation that I sat down to watch this 2008 take on the legend.I will say this this 2008 version was particularly stylish and interesting compared to the other ones I have seen.
It stands out as it is heavier on the action and the acting, than the older movies that are heavier on the melodrama.The movie is easily summarized for those not familiar with the legend of the blind swordsman.
Ichi (played by Haruka Ayase), a blind traveling musician, is seeking out her mentor, and on her travels she meets up with Toma Fujihira (played by Takao Osawa) and the end up in a feud between the Yakuza and a gang of thugs."Ichi" has some good action scenes and sequences that were nicely choreographed, and they used a great combination of slow-motion and regular motion camera work to enhance the action.
Oddly enough, though, with her skills with her sword, Ichi never got any blood on her and was always pretty and clean.The movie was driven by a good story, and helped along by some pretty good acting.
The movie did suffer from the acting of Shidô Nakamura who played Banki, the leader of the thugs, it was overdone and very staged.There was a lot of good camera work in the movie, and lots of nice scenes.
Recommendable for those who like feudal Japanese swords fighting movies..
Beset by tragic circumstances, often instigated due to her unfathomable beauty, the cruel fates bestowed upon her poignantly explored over the course of the feature, Ichi (the enthralling Haruka Aysae), a goze (a blind performer, who serenades people with her vocal talents and shamisen playing capabilities), with uniquely outstanding sword fighting skills, provided by a master she longs to discover, is forced to wander alone, after been accused of nefarious activity that was not of her own doing.Set during an unidentified ancient period in Japanese history, the self-titled Ichi combines exceptional cinematography that wondrously captures the environments, while at the same time, the lavishly rich musical score heightens the beauty of the environments, and the poignancy of the horrible occurrences the leads are forced to endure.
The bloody violence that accompanies the fight scenes is neither over the top, nor too little, and much like the rest of the feature, efficaciously encapsulates what can only be perceived as an accurately brutal portrayal of how cruel and barbaric, yet at the same time, vivid, life in this particular period could have been.Touma (Takao Osawa) is a swordsman on a pilgrimage, and though he is capable of pretentiously boasting about his capabilities, he finds himself unable to draw his sword, for reasons that are conveyed over the course of the plot.
Upon venturing into Ichi's life, she is forced to defend him against members of the villainous Ban-ki gang, their deaths spurring a vendetta, cast by their fellow members.Led by the antagonistic Banki (Shido Nakamura), a once revered Samurai, past events left his face hideously scarred, though these afflictions are not nearly as grotesque as his mind, this man being turned into a lunatic warrior with a thirst for bloodshed, his violent origins having a direct link to Ichi, which is again further developed as the plot progresses.
Accompanying Banki are a collection of equally violent men, one of whom being Izo (Riki Takeuchi), a fighter who proves to be almost as equally terrifying as his leader.On their journey, Ichi and Touma come upon a town run by the Shirikawa's, a family consisting of Chobee (Akira Emoto) and his son, Toraji (Yosuke Kubozzuka), both of whom are members of the Yakuza, their township been plagued by continuous raids from the wretched Ban-ki gang, the local governmental personnel been unwilling to provide support.
With the help of Kotaro (Ryosuke Shima), a young boy, Ichi is able to explore the town, during which she punishes members of the Ban-ki gang, Touma taking the credit for this particular brand of justice, which causes the town to hire him as their protector, unknowing that he is in fact incapable of providing the assistance they require, as the advances by the enemy continue to rapidly escalate.As Ichi and Touma begin to spend more time together, a unanimous form of understanding and respect begins to grow between them, as the two traveling individuals discover they need each other for separate reasons.
It ought to be noted, some of the sexual content in the film evolves around rape, and though I personally loathe films that use rape, or the threat of rape, as a form of entertainment, in the case of Ichi, this hideous act is used to not only realistically depict the horrors of the climate, but strengthens the sympathy we feel towards specific characters.Although I have not previously witnessed the Zatoichi films this particular feature carries on from, so am unable to offer a comparative analysis, Ichi is a moving film with an equal amount of heart, brutality, character, depth and action, which elegantly and continuously captures the attention of its audience with the use of adventurous direction and poetic beauty..
The story and the relationship btw Toma and Ichi are developed decently, so we are kept interested in the movie throughout.
It's almost as if the director is making up for plot holes by inserting random bits of poetic images and dialogue that aren't set up well and don't make that much sense.The action is more or less decent, but the climactic fight scenes are too short and simplistic.
About a blind but deadly woman forsaken by her home-village and a man she meets on the way.It's not packed with non-stop action it's more story based than it is action based but the action that there is is really well orchestrated.The story packs plenty of emotion, possibly a bit depressing for some people but I enjoyed it.The acting, cinematography, music, editing etc is all good even if the second half gets a little too slow at times but one could argue that it needed to be, anyway yeah overall it's a stellar piece of work that should satisfy your samurai-movie needs..
Zatoichi, the blind wandering yakuza, as played by Shintaro Katsu, is a broad and irreverent character.
This finely tuned and expansive portrayal of Zatoichi by Shintaro Katsu is the main reason his numerous films and TV episodes still endure today.Ichi (2008) is an alternative take on the blind wandering Yakuza character and Zatoichi becomes a blind wandering Goze (female blind musician).
Apart from the action the film is shot very much like a TV movie.The fight scenes in the original Zatoichi movies and TV episodes all had one thing in common, the suddenness and brutality of the action.
Shintaro Katsu's dexterity and deftness with the sword and also the long single takes allowed the action to be seen and as a result the fights were almost always surprising.
In the same way you may enjoy and marvel at a Bruce Lee fight, the same can be said of a Shintaro Katsu sword fight.In Ichi (2008) this sudden and convincing violence is gone, to be replaced by the cinematic cliché of real-time cut to slow-motion and back again.
For the best results in female martial arts action, it is better to cast an actress with a background in dance or martial arts like or Ziyi Zhang in House of Flying Daggers (2004) or Yanin "Jeeja" Vismistananda in Chocolate (2008).Ichi (2008) is a missed opportunity scuppered by mediocrity..
Ichi is supposed to be a remake of Zatoichi but for some reason I feel that its more like the 1st Crimson Bat movie.I think a lot of the negative reviews is because of its inevitable (since it claims to be a zatoichi remake) comparison to Zatoichi.
Even the gambling sequence where she wins by listening to the dice.The actions scenes with Ichi are not bad, nice quick and slow motioned sequence.
But the part where she fights the main baddie is weak.A well shot movie thats worth a watch.
In all honesty, the original reason I decided to watch this movie was the keywords, "Blind Swordsman." in the synopsis.
There wasn't any fighting' for the sake of fighting'The wandering protagonist, Ichi, is a Goze (a blind woman who barely scrapes by, working as a wandering musician).
Toma recognizes Ichi's amazing fighting skill and feels some sense of emasculation.
At times, it's both easy and difficult to relate to Ichi, but once you hear her full story, you'll likely gain some perspective into this flawed but beautiful person.
The beauty of this movie is comparable to that of Tokyo Story or The Twilight Samurai.
And being a new movie it comes in blue-ray and that greatly intensifying the beauty.So, despite the bad rating, I would say, go see it, at the very least you won't feel that you wasted your time.
That's basically Ichi, a satisfying spin on the long-running saga of the blind swordsman.The plot centers on Ichi's search for Zatoichi (who has been missing for quite some time), her tragic back-story, a feud between two yakuza gangs in an inn town, and a traveling warrior that eventually befriends Ichi.
Haruka Ayase makes for a good (and absolutely gorgeous) Ichi, and plays her as soft-spoken, reserved and stoic while letting her determination, dangerousness, and lighter side break through when appropriate.
This isn't a pure action film by any means, it's fairly leisurely-paced outside of action scenes (Ichi doesn't play around with her enemies).
ICHI is a Japanese samurai movie with a twist: the blind warrior of the title is a woman in this one.
Heavily based on the popular and long-running ZATOICHI series of films, the story sees Ichi ending up in a small town that's been overrun by bandits.
The plot is complicated when another swordsman, traumatised by the events of his past, falls in love with her, is mistaken for an expert swordsman, and becomes the town's protector.There are shades of YOJIMBO in the look, style, and feel of this production, but it manages to be a successful film in its own right.
And it's in the characters and the human drama where this film excels: there's emotion to spare in this story, along with characters you learn and care about throughout, and the acting as a whole is superior for the production.ICHI is hardly an action packed movie but there are some key moments that impress, alongside an extended climax that makes up for some of the slower points in the story.
The premise of this movie is simple: What if Zatoichi had a daughter who was born blind and without a personality?
Fair is fair.It is a shame that the woman took on a personality like the Takashii Zatoichi as opposed to the superior Shintaro Katsu version of the character.
It was a solid movie; however, there was very little that was likable about Ichi's character.
As an action movie, it wasn't too bad.This is the second time that someone has missed the point concerning the success of the Zatoichi franchise.
The copies have been life-less cut-outs...with one exception...The Crimson Bat series had a title character with a personality...a different personality in each of her four movies.
I hope that, when the next blind swords-person movie is made, they pay attention to what made the old ones great..
But this film is still watchable despite the really manga influenced style of it all, even if it worked for the movie "Ping Pong".
The movie wasn't as engrossing as expected but it was still sort of entertaining watching the blind female swordsman cut down bandits although the movie is a bit too vivid and colorful in a negative way.
This movie was a bit of a disappointment and maybe this director should just do another manga adaptation with a good and engrossing story.
Good action drama suffers only if you compare it to the best of the Zatoichi films.
Rethink, and perhaps continuation of the story of Zatoichi, the blind swordsman.
You can't really compare it to the best of the Zatoichi series since its not really fair since those films had a couple of chances to hit their stride before they got it right.
The other flaw is that the films budget at times makes it seem almost like a TV movie, especially with the use of computer generated blood.I like the film a great deal and would recommend it, especially if you let the film do what it wants to do and not take for what its not, say a continuation of Beat Takashi's take on the characters.
I haven't seen the original films in the '60s and '70s, but I watched the 2003 Zatouichi starring "Beat" Takeshi, which was a very strong film.This remake starring Ayase Haruka has its share of improvements, but just as many shortcomings.Sori Fumihiko's direction, as with "Ping Pong", was wonderful.
When I watched the 2003 version, what impressed me about the character was that he can be so deadly even though he was blind, merely using the sound of opponent charging and feeling of enemy presence.
This remake, however, completely failed to show how the character was strong as she was, and also ignored the weaknesses, such as the scene where the crowd was making a lot of noise, but she was still able to easily defeat her opponent.The movie had nice action and few touching scenes, but plagued by miscasting and a weak script that also over-dramatized the story.
I'm a big fan of foreign films especially Korean and Chinese films I saw the trailer of Ichi it looked good so I bought it and I'm glad I Did Ichi exceeded my expectations the movie takes place in feudal Japan and follows a blind woman Ichi who's very adept with musical instruments as well as a sword she is looking for the blind swordsman who trained her along the way she comes across a village being harassed by a brutal warlord and his gang and gets dragged into the conflict there's lots of great and gory battle scenes many men think Ichi is easy prey big mistake on their part the acting cinematography soundtrack and storyline are all great the main actress who plays Ichi was AMAZING Truly a great performance the ending is very emotional and a little sad but is still a good positive happy endingI got the blu Ray version the picture and audio quality are amazing and the blu Ray includes both English dub and the original japanese with English subtitles I highly recommend watching it with the original Japanese with English subtitles dubbing really sucks and lowers the quality of the film don't get upset about the subtitles once you get into the movie you won't even realize your reading themOverall Ichi is an amazing movie with quality acting and storyline Foreign films are easily destroying Hollywood these days especially Asian cinemaHighly recommended.
On her journey she encounters a samurai who fears killing people, a village plagued by the Yakuza.Ichi is a film that focuses on the story rather than action and although the action is always great, it holds the audience's attention with likable characters and at times its very intense.
When the final fight finally does arrive, we've seen the lives of the characters making the end very satisfying, as well as sad..
Ichi is a goze who is travelling Japan in search of her mentor, who was the actual Zatoichi.
And Haruka Ayase as Ichi herself is stunning and beautiful and at the same time a convincing swords-woman.
For people who love the Zatoichi films, many will no doubt watch this film hoping to see their beloved character and stories recreated for the 21st century.
Shintaro Katsu (the original actor for the series) died some time ago and apparently Takeshi Kitano is not up for another film in the series (though apparently there IS another Zatoichi film coming out in 2010 starring Shingo Katori).
The Zatoichi of old could not because he had to make up for his violent past as a member of the Yakuza--but why was this Ichi so sad and on her own--acting like a total outcast?!
Even with the montage scene, her actions through the film didn't seem to make total sense.
This was a weakness in this film.Another weakness, and this is a big one, is that the new Ichi was actually NOT the main character for much of this movie.
Instead, so much of the tale has to do with a samurai who refuses to fight--though his reasons seemed a bit silly to me--especially late in the film when so many died because of his inner struggle.
Now everyone who has heard of Zatoichi or seen even some of his films or episodes,then you know how the story goes.
Haruka Ayase is really good in this role as Ichi and she comes in and slices and dices her foes as expected.Then comes in the secondary character, the buffoon Fujihara who likes to run to the rescue, but can't draw his sword because when he was little he swung his sword, broke the tip of said sword, which flew across the court yard while his mother who happened to be passing through who gets slashed across the eyes blinding her.
Isn't she the star, shouldn't she have the chance to redeem herself as so many other characters do in movies like this?
Sorry for my English, this is not my mother tongue..First of all it is almost impossible not to compare this movie to the Zatoichi series - if you watched that earlier.
Ichi's face is, as mentioned by a lot of review, motionless, which makes the movie very unreal.