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Samaritan Zatoichi

Name: Samaritan Zatoichi
Genre: Adventure, Action, Drama
Released: 1968-12-28
Cast: Shintarō Katsu, Yoshiko Mita, Makoto Satō, Kō Nishimura, Takuya Fujioka

1968 | 84 min | Adventure, Action, Drama

Monday Morning Maybeearly rating

Why it’s a Monday Morning Maybe

With a box office flop and almost no lasting buzz, this one could be a tough watch. Keep your phone handy.

Based on critics, audiences, awards, box office and buzz. Details below.

Is it for you?

Who'll love it: Made for action fans. If you loved The Northman, start here.
The mood: Exciting.
The pace: Takes its time with its characters, at 1 hr 24 min.
What might put you off: It's in Japanese, so expect subtitles (or a dub).
Made in 1968: an older pace and style.

Zatoichi is forced to kill a young man who owes a debt to a yakuza boss. Moments later, his sister Osode arrives with the money she earned (prostituting herself) to pay his debts. The bosses true motives are revealed and he attempts to steal Osode even though the debt is paid. Zatoichi realizes his grievous error and protects the girl from the gang. Osode and Zatoichi are caught in a dilemma as she must rely on her brother's killer for protection and Zatoichi wrestles with the injustice he has caused.

How it earned its rating

CriticsNot counted
Not enough reviews on record yet
AudiencesNot counted
Not measured yet: not enough ratings
AwardsNot counted
No major awards or nominations
Reach & staying powerWeak
Streaming release that reached a small audience so far
Buzz & cultural impactWeak
Not enough engagement data yet

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Cast & crew

Directed by Kenji Misumi

Shintarō KatsuZatoichi
Yoshiko MitaOsode
Makoto SatōYasaburo Kashiwazaki
Kō NishimuraSosuke Saruya
Takuya FujiokaShinkichi
Chōchō MiyakoOhaya
Akira ShimizuKumakichi
Ryoichi TamagawaChohachi
Machiko SogaOsen
Ryūtarō GomiSashichi