ICHI (2008)

SERIOUSLY. This is what the crap Hollywood still puts out?

The film was still a fun one that will make you laugh and have you leaving the theater feeling like you just stole something valuable and got away with it.

It's entirely possible that sending the audience out feeling lousy was intentional

A lot of perfectly good film show their cards early, establish a unique premise and let the audience explore a topic at a leisurely pace, without much in terms of surprise. this film is not one of those films.

In all honesty, the original reason I decided to watch this movie was the keywords, "Blind Swordsman." in the synopsis. I envisioned a film about epic sword fights and superhuman feats. This is one case where I was glad that I was wrong.Don't get me wrong, there are still enough (well-choreographed) fight scenes to entertain the average joe. But the fight scenes are by no means the bulk of the movie. I appreciated that the fight scenes were deliberate, that is, each specific fight was justified with reasoning behind it, whether it be a plot device to further the story or give some small insight to a character's past. 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). Unbeknownst to most, she also happens to be a master swordsman of unknown origin. All we see is a laconic, emotionally repressed young lady who has found one singular purpose in life, a journey of sorts. Although she tries to avoid conflict with others, she also is willing to maim/kill anyone without hesitation or regret if they obstruct her path or pose a threat. She takes neither pride nor shame in killing, but she doesn't lack morality. It may just appear that way since her persona is buried so deep that she appears to be a hollow/soulless shell at times. Although undesired, she carries a certain allure about her which attracts attention.. A blind swordswoman with such exceptional skills is enough to make anyone curious/scared.Although the movie may sound very dark, the theme is well-balanced with an appropriate amount of humor. This is due to the introduction of a good-hearted, but overly confident man, Toma, who joins Ichi on her quest. Toma recognizes Ichi's amazing fighting skill and feels some sense of emasculation. He claims to be "quite the swordsman" himself but his demonstrated technique says otherwise, The characters play well off of each other, given their extremely polarized personalities. It allows for the occasional playful moment in an otherwise serious and dramatic movie,Throughout their journey, Ichi and Toma learn about each other, as well about themselves. The overriding themes of character development, self-realization, and overcoming one's inner demons are the true essence of the movie. That said, their journey has its ups and downs but due as a series of events unfolds, they quickly find their lives more and more in the balance, building to an amazing climax. Overall, I really liked the movie. It's common knowledge that this premise is not original, but the form it takes is what makes this movie special. 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. A rare, delicate flower which will eventually bloom into something amazingly breathtaking. And yet, this flower is also capable of death, unbeknownst to many. When a flower is at conflict with itself, what will happen when you approach it?

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. And the sword fight scenes were spices up with spray blood, although there wasn't actually any gore, so it was tastefully done. 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. I must applaud Haruka Ayase for her portrayal of Ichi, because it was really nicely done; emotional and beautiful. 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. They made good use of the scenery in the movie, and the sets were working quite well. And the costumes and props were working well in favor of the movie as well.For a live action Manga, then "Ichi" was a good movie, entertaining and full of action. I was glad that I watched this, despite of my former bad experiences with the older movies. Recommendable for those who like feudal Japanese swords fighting movies.

Imagine if Zatoichi the Blind Swordsman had an adopted daughter that was also blind and that he taught his sword skills. Also imagine that he left her at goze house as he went out on his travels, and she grew up to be a skilled musician. 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. Ayase is also great in the action scenes, which are pretty well done and bloody without crossing the line into gory. I liked Ichi. There's nothing groundbreaking about it, but I enjoyed the characters (even though the antagonists are unfortunately two dimensional) and the balance between fighting and character development/story is excellent. 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). There's more than enough here to make the story of the blind swordsman(woman) worth visiting again.

I read a lot of the negative reviews in here, most seem to be around comparisons with other movies but I saw it as a movie in it's own right. In doing so I was not disappointed. Ichi is a goze who is travelling Japan in search of her mentor, who was the actual Zatoichi. She was born blind. As an infant, Zatoichi rescued her and left her in the care of a group of goze, visiting her and secretly teaching her the techniques Zatoichi had mastered. After being abused, she is exiled by the goze. She pleaded to the man who had abused her to say nothing happened, but he refused and she killed him. She wanted to see her mentor one last time before she died, so she began searching for him. While on her search, she gets involved in a war between residents of a small village ruled by a yakuza gang and a group of bandits, Banki-to. It is all beautifully shot and acted. The main character has been criticised in here for no personality, whereas I saw lots of personality and emotion, subtlety done as is often the case with Japanese women. And Haruka Ayase as Ichi herself is stunning and beautiful and at the same time a convincing swords-woman. Also the film is not as bloodthirsty as some in this genre such as the Azumi series. Overall I would definitely watch this again.