Dir: Shintaro Katsu
1972
****
Zatoichi in desperation, the twenty-fourth film in the series, is aptly titled. This is a rather unique Zatoichi film as it comments on so many sociological issues; the frustration that comes when it is realized that sometimes you cannot save people who don't want to be saved. It could have been called Zatoichi in Frustration. This one also has the edge on many of the others due to its superior visuals. The editing during the scene where the lady falls from the bridge and the subsequent flashbacks are brilliant. The franchise seemed to hit a real peak in the last few films and it seems they left it on a high-note. This would be the penultimate film of the original series, although Shintaro Katsu did return to the role in 1989 for the twenty-sixth and final film, after a sixteen year gap. A fantastic film, although I'm still not sure about that 'Wanking off a retard' scene though.
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