Zatoichi Challenged (1967)

Series progenitor Kenji Misumi jumped back on board with the entry in the long-running series, presumably to get the thing back on track after a number of weak entries, and it turns out his professionalism and clean directorial style was just what was needed. This turns out to be the strongest entry since Zatoichi and the Doomed Man, with better characterization and a less complicated plot than its nearest predecesors. Misumi makes getting this formula right look so easy that it's difficult to think about how it could go wrong.

Grade: B+