Lately Quentin Tarantino’s been agitating to be named the director of the next James Bond movie, which strikes us as a not-half-bad idea. As Tarantino doubtless knows, the Japanese already pulled off their version of such a feat with this movie, in which super-stylish director Takeshi Kitano revisits and updates the beloved 1960s action series about Zatoichi, the wandering blind gambler and fastest sword in the land. Expect a lighter touch than you might have seen in the breathtakingly violent crime thrillers that brought Kitano his biggest U.S. fame; as a matter of fact, the closing scene owes as much to Busby Berkeley as it does to Akira Kurosawa. (And do check out the original films starring the gruff Shintaro Katsu, currently being released on DVD; we’ve seen six, and loved them all.) (612) 925-6006; www.landmarktheatres.com
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