Adventures of Zatoichi (1964)

Ninth entry in the series is on a par with most of the rest, which means it's fine entertainment with action and humor galore. Attempts at pathos this time by featuring twin father searches don't always work out, but it's nice to see someone trying -- in fact, the final battle here proves oddly affecting after an angry Ichi proclaims he just wanted to be left alone for once.

Grade: B+