This movie kicked ass. I thought it might have been a remake, based on the number of different posters I found during my GIS, and it is the latest reboot in a long series of the same. Like Doctor Who. Or Batman. Seriously, this character has been in 26 feature films since the 60's, a stage adaptation, and a TV show that lasted 5 seasons.
So this incarnation follows the current Zatoichi as he roams from town to town with his cane sword, righting wrongs and helping the needy. But this is much more Smokin' Aces than Blind Fury (although Blind Fury was an American remake of the 17th film in the series, Zatoichi Challenged, which may explain why the character seemed idiotic). In the same town we find a master swordsman turned ronin looking for bodyguard work to pay for his wife's medicine who ends up getting hired by the local yakuza boss. There are also two con artists dressed as geishas who make ends meet by seducing men and then robbing them on their path to vengeance. Plus, all the local boss' hired muscle.
There is still some shitty CGI to contend with, in the form of overly bright sprays of blood and severed limbs flying, but this is way more forgivable than Azumi since it's played more for camp.
Comedy is a hard thing to get across a culture gap, so I usually dislike the attempt at comic relief but this one isn't so bad. Shinkichi is a lousy gambler but good-hearted and does a couple of great scenes without coming across as a caricature. There's at least one major surprise regarding a character that isn't who they seem to be, and then another couple of small surprises.
And then... Giant tap-dance number. No, seriously.
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