Zatoichi transcends its origins as a Japanese period swordplay film, and would play well with any fan of action movies with character. The combination of character depth, action, and heart puts it well above the typical Hollywood formula piece.

Of course you can't have the good without the bad, although there is little bad to be had here. The worst I can think of at the moment, is the use of CG blood, I would have preferred a more practical effect approach, similar to Kill Bill. But that is a minor quibble that really didn't affect me too much. Other than that, I can't really say any bad about it.

There were some interesting touches throughout the film. At the beginning and end there are sequences with workers who tools make noises that fit in with the beat of the music, adding another layer which makes the music blend in more with the action. It is hard to describe, except the opening segment reminded me of something the Blue Man Group may do (but with more PVC tubing of course). And at the end there is also an interesting traditional dance at a festival in the town, something I did not expect to see. Also things like Zatoichi shaking the blood from his sword after each slash, and the underhand style he employs, which is true in all the films. All of the humor spread through, which doesn't take you out of the film, like it can sometimes do.

Video: The video is free from any blemishes, marks, dust. What you would expect of such a recent film. The biggest problem with it is that the colors are faded and washed out, it is not as sharp as I hoped it would be. The image is clear, but does get muddy in darker scenes and detail is diminished. It's better than a lot of other HK disks I have seen, but still disappointing.

Audio: Audio is good and available in a few different flavors. First there is a Cantonese dub, which sounded artificial, kind of like English dubs do. We also get the original Japanese in Dolby Digital Stereo and 5.1, plus DTS 5.1. I watched with the Dolby Digital 5.1 track on and it sounded good, a little low on the volume, but clear and free of any hiss.

Extras: There is a second disk with a making of documentary and a series of interviews. Sadly, I cannot really comment on them as they are in Japanese with Chinese subtitles, no English here. There are also a few postcards with images from the film included.

Bottom Line: Great movie that I would recommend to any action fan capable of playing Region 3 disks. Excellent action, direction, acting, story. Overall one of the better action films I have seen recently. It's a shame these movies don't get more of chance here in the US.
Highly Recommended.