Villano
First Post
I'm surprised that no one mentioned the Zatoichi (Blind Swordsman) films. Shintaro Katsu essayed the role in a couple dozen movies and a tv series. You can catch about half the films on Saturday morning if you get IFC.
There's really no fantasy involved aside from the fact that the main character is blind but has an almost supernatural 6th sense.
Zatoichi, The Fugitive is the best in the series, IMHO. Although Zatoichi Meets His Equal, in which the blind swordsman takes on Jimmy Wang Yu's One-Armed Swordsman, is also surprisingly good (especially since one of them actually dies during their final duel).
Also, the Lone Wolf series (starring Katsu's brother, btw), is a great choice.
Another good film is Samurai Reincarnation, starring Sony Chiba. I'm not quite finished watching my copy of the film, but so far it's been quite good. Lots of ghosts and gore.
I've also heard good things about a samurai/horror series called The Sleepy Eyes Of Death, but I've never seen any of them.
As for Chinese films, I enjoyed Master Of The Flying Guilotine (sp?). The One-Armed Boxer takes on a blind man, the title character.
There's really no fantasy involved aside from the fact that the main character is blind but has an almost supernatural 6th sense.
Zatoichi, The Fugitive is the best in the series, IMHO. Although Zatoichi Meets His Equal, in which the blind swordsman takes on Jimmy Wang Yu's One-Armed Swordsman, is also surprisingly good (especially since one of them actually dies during their final duel).
Also, the Lone Wolf series (starring Katsu's brother, btw), is a great choice.
Another good film is Samurai Reincarnation, starring Sony Chiba. I'm not quite finished watching my copy of the film, but so far it's been quite good. Lots of ghosts and gore.
I've also heard good things about a samurai/horror series called The Sleepy Eyes Of Death, but I've never seen any of them.
As for Chinese films, I enjoyed Master Of The Flying Guilotine (sp?). The One-Armed Boxer takes on a blind man, the title character.
