Samaritan Zatoichi (1968)

Description

With 25 film sequels and upwards of 100 TV episodes. Shintaro Katsu is the legendary Zatoichi! He's a low-ranking blind masseur who lives by the Yakuza code and answers his foes with a deadly cane sword. By far, one of Japan's most time-honored screen personas, Zatoichi is, to this day, the ultimate everyman anti-hero. In one of the most unusual films of the series, Zatoichi is hired to kill a man who owes a huge gambling debt to a yakuza boss. But the boss' true motives are exposed when the victim's sister, Osode, arrives with the money to pay back the debt, which she has acquired through prostitution. Realizing he has been tricked, Zatoichi vows to protect the young woman, and steps in to fight the gang boss for her honor. The result is a stunning display of violent swordplay that will appeal to any action plan.