Zatoichi at the Fire Festival (1970)

The blind swordsman's 21st film isn't an overly bloody affair, but there’s a fine balance of action and characterisation and even some very funny comedy during a frenetic bath house fight.
It was celebrated director Kenji Misumi’s sixth Zatoichi; he was the man that started the series eight years previously. He’s better known in the West as director of four of the Lone Wolf and Cub films.
For a series to still be this good after so many entries isn't unique to Japan but they are surely the masters at it. Most struggle after a trilogy.

3½ expensive wind chimes out of 5

Legends of the Poisonous Seductress: Vol Two: Quick-draw Okatsu (1969)

Okatsu is played by the same actress (Junko Miyazono) that played the lead role in Female Demon Ohyaku (1968), and they even share some backstory, but there are differences that make it unclear if we're supposed to connect them in any kind of more meaningful way.
Vol Two is more cinematic and better edited than its predecessor. There's also more swordplay, so it's a lot bloodier.
Tomisaburo Wakayama gets an opportunity to show his skills. Could he do that stuff in real life? He sure seems like he could.
There's a watchful moment at a brothel that reminds very much of Rear Window (1954).  From the other perspective, Okatsu is a clear influence on the Lady Snowblood (1973) film that followed a few years later.

4 ugly truths out of 5

The Sword of Doom (1966)

A jidaigeki about a wandering samurai who antagonises almost everyone he meets. His expression is unreadable most of the time, but deep down he has a reserve of burning madness and when he kills it’s to assuage it.
There’s no mistaking this is an Okamoto film. The precise way everything is orchestrated, the slow movements, the waiting, and the feeling of impending danger is almost constant. The music, too, is a character.
The abrupt ending is easier to take when you learn that two sequels were planned but never got made.

4 forms out of 5

Zatoichi the Outlaw (1967)

The 16th Zatoichi film was the only one of the series directed by Satsuo Yamamoto. His style is noticeably different from what came before. It's busier and the world feels more populated, which isn't a bad thing, but it was unexpected. The film is also slightly longer than usual, perhaps to accommodate the lengthy passing of time that’s in the script.
Ichi’s usual good judgement fails him and he finds himself in the employ of the sort of people he usually avoids. While making amends he gets to once again display his unique shamisen skills and, of course, in the finale he exhibits his magnificent swordsmanship. During the bloodshed there's one scene in particular that had me grinning from ear to ear.

3½ crooked paths out of 5

Hanzo the Razor: Who's Got the Gold? (1974)

Hanzo’s third and final film has him on the case of some corrupt officials who are fleecing the poor and the low ranking samurai.
Beneath the blood splatter, the sexploitation and the 70’s funk music the actual stories aren't anything special, it’s the great Shintarô Katsu that makes the trilogy as good as it is. He brought a regal arrogance to a character that really shouldn't be well-liked at all, considering his methods.
This one doesn't stray too far from the formula set by the previous two, meaning it has very little new to offer after the first ten minutes.

3 branded bitches out of 5

Hanzo the Razor: The Snare (1973)

Hanzo’s second film delivered the same kind of samurai action and sexual exploitation as his first, but it feels more aggressive and therefore more offensive. It’s easy to see why it was banned for so long.
When a young woman turns up dead the detective seeks the perpetrator by relying on his own warped morality and sense of justice.
Zatoichi fans will already know the kind of excellence that Shintarô Katsu brings to a role; as Hanzo he’s equally impressive. Furthermore, the production values and care put into staging and lighting each scene is a lot higher than this particular kind of cinema usually gets.

3½ peep shows out of 5