Firstly, I would like to say in response to a comment I read earlier, the paint on his eyes is quite obvious. However, in a later scene, when he meets the real boss, he either pretends he can see, or perhaps he actually can. I have read commentary indicating both possibilities. It is apt that such a revelation occurs, whether real or not, because it is indicative of the big crap Kitano has taken on the original Zatoichi as played by the vastly superior Shintaro Katsu.
As for his hair, the middle-aged explanation is a laughable joke. I have been to Japan on several occassions and my in-laws are Japanese, and never once have I seen a Japanese man in his late forties/early fifties with blonde hair, especially when it is so obvious it came from a bottle. I don't know what Mr. Kitano was trying to accomplish with this bit of ridiculous nonsense, although I suspect it was done for shock value, but it comes off as a distraction as it is so pathetically laughable. It is reminiscent of the hilarious red wig Bolo Yeung wears in "The 36 Deadly Styles".
Anyone claiming that Takeshi Kitano has made a masterpiece needs to watch a few of the original films before they make such an assertion, an asinine one in my opinion. As I stated quite clearly in my previous review, Kitano's performance is so horrible it makes Keanu Reeves' performance in Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure seem Oscar-worthy. Whether Takeshi Kitano adopted the deadpan persona out of necessity because of his hemi-facial paralysis resulting from a near-fatal motorcycle accident or simply because his acting is more wooden than David Hasselhoff's, the one-note nature of his performances grows tedious very rapidly. He exacerbates this in Zatoichi by making the character a de facto mute, either unwilling or incapable of vocalizing his feelings. Again, as I mentioned earlier, this is a radical departure from the original, and it is not for the better. There is no reason to care about Kitano's Zatoichi; his characterization never goes beyond that of a murderous swordsman. Gone is the torturous introspection and depth of emotion that occurs in Katsu's films. It has been replaced by Kitano's near catatonia, as he practically sleepwalks through this role.
This superficial characterization is aided by the use of some of the most amateurish CGI effects I have ever seen in my entire life. The gambling scene, lifted directly from the original films is a perfect example of this. Instead of the interplay that occured in the original films, often accompanied by dazzling, and tension-building sword tricks, we see limbs being hacked-off instead, made possible by the use of CGI so bad, it makes you wonder if the scenes were filmed in the 1970s.
Everything about this "film" is inferior in every way to the original film series on which it is purported to be based. Takeshi Kitano is quite simply not in Shintaro Katsu's league, and the resultant film is a piece of garbage, containing no more substance or depth than a live-action comic book like Azumi.
Wow! Dude... I love how passionately you hate this film!! :)
For me, this film is largely an exercise in juxtaposition. It's about incongruity and the unexpected.
I don't think that it's supposed to be a continuation of the old Zatoichi films, rather I think they chose the "Zatoichi" backdrop since it's so familiar that it provides an easy basis for comparison to what they are actually doing onscreen (as you've clearly noticed). :)
I think his blond hair, for example, is supposed to serve as a cue to the audience that this film is something different, not something similar, to what they may be expecting. The various musical bits peppered throughout the film serve the same purpose to me.
If I were a mega O.G. Zatoichi fan expecting a modern retelling, I'd probably be a bit pissed too. But as it is, I think this movie stands completely on its own not only from the earlier "Zatoichi" films and TV series, but also from nearly any other film ever made.
"the paint on his eyes is quite obvious. However, in a later scene, when he meets the real boss, he either pretends he can see, or perhaps he actually can. I have read commentary indicating both possibilities."
Watch the film to the very end (ie after the dance number). It is made pretty clear that Zatoichi is actually blind and was just trying to gain an advantage against the real boss by messing with him.
As for the blonde hair, it is my guess that Kitano was intentionally using the primary colors (yellow hair, red cane sword, blue clothing) to reduce the character to its most basic elements. This isn't supposed to be Katsu's Zatoichi, but a separate character who is similar in broad strokes, but quite different in the details.
I liked this flick (though I didn't care for the CGI blood), but respect your dislike for it. For what it's worth, I've also enjoyed most of the original Zatoichi films I've seen.
I forgot to add (again) that I hated the CGI in this film. But this kind of CGI blood-spray crap seems to be becoming really commonplace now, and IMO it still looks bad even to this day in recent films. People need to get back to basics and lose these lame computer effects in every film...
I hate CGI full stop. The older movies with Katsu has got a sense of charm and wit about them, and with this new one with Kitano it is lost. I still liked the experience of a different interpretation, but sometimes it is best to leave the classics alone.
By the way, there's a really beautiful new 4-disc set from Australia containing newly remastered ANAMORPHIC widescreen presentations of the first 4 films in the original "Zatoichi" series:
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