Zatoichi

The marriage was perhaps inevitable: Among Japan's foremost entertainment personalities, Takeshi Kitano is a modern-day renaissance man who entered showbusiness as stand-up comic "Beat" Takeshi, a stage name he still uses today, and subsequently segued into film and television acting, writing and directing; novel, short-story, essay and poetry writing; and painting. Meanwhile, Zatoichi, a blind masseur and master swordsman, is among the country's most enduring cinematic characters, portrayed by Shintano Katsu in a series of films from 1962 to 1989. That Kitano would undertake an adaptation of the mythology and make it his own seems preordained.

"Zatoichi," which has already grossed upwards of $25 million in its native Japan, marks the first foray into period samurai drama for Kitano, who is best-known for his action-packed yakuza gangster films--an oeuvre that reached its zenith with 1997's "Hana-bi" ("Fireworks"). But the qualities that characterize Kitano's work--his singular combination of carnage and comedy--in his hands fit as comfortably into the 19th century as the 21st.

Here the titular character, a sightless nomad who makes his living by gambling and giving massages, wanders into a village that is being terrorized by ruthless gang leader Ginzo (Ittoku Kishibe), even more so since the enlistment of the formidable ronin Hattori (Tadanobu Asno) as his bodyguard. Zatoichi draws Ginzo's ire when he's far too lucky at his gambling establishment. Little do his enemies know, Zatoichi's cane conceals a sword that he wields with lightning-fast precision. Meanwhile, Zatoichi encounters a pair of geishas who are as dangerous as they are beautiful. Harboring their own scandalous secret, they have arrived to avenge their parents' murders.

Although "Kill Bill" should hardly be noted as the benchmark for the genre--which is an homage to, rather than an example of, classic samurai movies--the tone here is similar. The violence is thrilling, the blood splatter prodigious and painterly. It's also exaggerated, allowing viewers to revel in the bloodbath without being revolted by it.

Also ever-present is Kitano's trademark sense of humor, ranging from the visual pranks in the fight scenes--at one point, Zatoichi's blade slowly splits the length of an opponent's cane, methodically slicing off his thumb where it holds the shaft--to the slapstick gags of a village idiot who fancies himself a great warrior to wordplay vis-à-vis Zatoichi's sightlessness.

Like in "Hana-bi," which distinguished itself from other gangster movies with its montage of Kitano's elegant artwork, "Zatoichi" is characterized by an artistic theme that runs like a river current throughout the film until it explodes over the lip of a cliff in the coda. Much of the picture's action takes place against a backdrop of farmers working in fields, their rhythmic hoeing accompanied by a "Stomp"-esque soundtrack. In his film's finale, Kitano opts to eschew the typical Japanese folk dancing that would accompany a hero's departure with the ultra-modern choreography of tap team "The Stripes." It's a raucous celebration in kimonos and straw sandals to a contemporary hip-hop beat that somehow captures vigor and humor of the entire film. Starring Beat Takeshi, Tadanobu Asano, Michiyo Ogusu, Yui Natsukawa, Guadalcanal Take and Daigoro Tachibana. Directed and written by Takeshi Kitano. Produced by Masayuki Mori and Tsunehisa Saito. A Miramax release. Action. Japanese-language; subtitled. Rated R for strong stylized bloody violence. Running time: 116 min