New Tale of Zatoichi (1963)

Third entry in the series; here, the direction isn't as assured as the first two but the plot is more intricate. It's exciting, but it's also fairly moving, as this film sees Zatoichi trying to move away from the violent life he's chosen. Shintaro Katsu shows off his acting chops here, and he's fantastic -- he simply IS Zatoichi. I am now officially a fan of this series.

Grade: B+