It's a lot heavier than most Zatoichi films, not as much humour, but the gore is intact and there's plenty of moments that'll have you leaping out of your seat yelling "You are so cool Zatoichi!!".
Including a lovely scene of Zatoichi casually breaking all the limbs of a man who stole his rice. You tell 'im Ichi!
Most certainly worth the cash.

I went and saw this film a few years ago with my lady at the Phoenix in north London. Having an interest in martial arts and Japanese film. It is a shame that many mainstream audiences miss great cinema masterpiece's such as this. The film is beautifully shot and the character driven story of the enigmatic blind swordsman makes it a must see. The story of a wondering swordsman who uses his skills to protect the week is action packed with perfect and at times bloody choreography, the main character displaying unsurpassed swordsmanship. The well written script holds your interest and also contains some surprisingly comic scenes. Get this!!!