Zatoichi

There's a lot that's great about the final film in the Zatoichi series, with some small disappointments on the side.

The action is great, it's really well shot, Shintaro Katsu is as good as ever, and the gore is all out in this one. It gives you a lot of what you want out of the series, and calls back to enough things that the reviews calling this something of a Zatoichi's Greatest Hits are right on the mark.

Unfortunately, I didn't like how little the title character was actually featured in his own finale! Felt a bit like Godzilla in one of his movies just rocking up every now and then, but overall quite seperate, at times, from the other less interesting characters.

And as for the story: it's a little convoluted. It's not as sleek and seamless as the narratives presented in some of the best Zatoichi films.

Also: I wish they did more with Zatoichi's age, here. A little more melancholy about getting old could have gone a long way to making this hit more emotionally.

But for its strengths alone, it's still a good entry in the franchise, and works as a fun- if far from perfect- send off.

And let's face it: if you've made it through the first 25, you're already sold on watching this one.