Tedfoldol everything you have heard about this movie is true.

Solidrariol Am I Missing Something?

ChanFamous I wanted to like it more than I actually did... But much of the humor totally escaped me and I walked out only mildly impressed.

Guillelmina The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

prabhunster In all honesty, the original reason I decided to watch this movie was the keywords, "Blind Swordsman." in the synopsis. I envisioned a film about epic sword fights and superhuman feats. This is one case where I was glad that I was wrong.Don't get me wrong, there are still enough (well-choreographed) fight scenes to entertain the average joe. But the fight scenes are by no means the bulk of the movie. I appreciated that the fight scenes were deliberate, that is, each specific fight was justified with reasoning behind it, whether it be a plot device to further the story or give some small insight to a character's past. There wasn't any fighting' for the sake of fighting'The wandering protagonist, Ichi, is a Goze (a blind woman who barely scrapes by, working as a wandering musician). Unbeknownst to most, she also happens to be a master swordsman of unknown origin. All we see is a laconic, emotionally repressed young lady who has found one singular purpose in life, a journey of sorts. Although she tries to avoid conflict with others, she also is willing to maim/kill anyone without hesitation or regret if they obstruct her path or pose a threat. She takes neither pride nor shame in killing, but she doesn't lack morality. It may just appear that way since her persona is buried so deep that she appears to be a hollow/soulless shell at times. Although undesired, she carries a certain allure about her which attracts attention.. A blind swordswoman with such exceptional skills is enough to make anyone curious/scared.Although the movie may sound very dark, the theme is well-balanced with an appropriate amount of humor. This is due to the introduction of a good-hearted, but overly confident man, Toma, who joins Ichi on her quest. Toma recognizes Ichi's amazing fighting skill and feels some sense of emasculation. He claims to be "quite the swordsman" himself but his demonstrated technique says otherwise, The characters play well off of each other, given their extremely polarized personalities. It allows for the occasional playful moment in an otherwise serious and dramatic movie,Throughout their journey, Ichi and Toma learn about each other, as well about themselves. The overriding themes of character development, self-realization, and overcoming one's inner demons are the true essence of the movie. That said, their journey has its ups and downs but due as a series of events unfolds, they quickly find their lives more and more in the balance, building to an amazing climax. Overall, I really liked the movie. It's common knowledge that this premise is not original, but the form it takes is what makes this movie special. At times, it's both easy and difficult to relate to Ichi, but once you hear her full story, you'll likely gain some perspective into this flawed but beautiful person. A rare, delicate flower which will eventually bloom into something amazingly breathtaking. And yet, this flower is also capable of death, unbeknownst to many. When a flower is at conflict with itself, what will happen when you approach it?

barna b Sorry for my English, this is not my mother tongue..First of all it is almost impossible not to compare this movie to the Zatoichi series - if you watched that earlier. Zatoichi's character has nothing to do with Ichi, not because she is a female character, but she lacks of inner deepness - Ichi got stuck with her past and the feelings from that - she hasn't overcome her sadness, hasn't go beyond it. Unlike Zatoichi , who is ever present, yes he has a past too, but he is able to free himself of it (past is past - he says in one of the series about an event and walk away dancing joyfully). Yes, it is a comparison, but with it I just want to point out that in reality no one can be called a master, who hasn't look beyond the surface. Stillness is inside, outside - like face expressions can be changed according to the situation. The master is who is still inside (like before fight the master stand still - the posture is like he or she is going inside of him or her and from there he or she acts - very effectively), not outside. Ichi's face is, as mentioned by a lot of review, motionless, which makes the movie very unreal. At the end there is a smile on her face, which gives a bit of "hope", but it doesn't elevate the movie. The fighting scenes are all right, the movie is nicely shot, this could be a real potential - if the writer could have more insights about the real martial arts, which is about the Presence - not just in fight, but in other circumstances too. The character development of Toma also could be portrayed much better, remain wasted potential; and Ichi's character could be more visually influenced by the character of the child and Toma too.Otherwise the music is absolutely amazing. Real gem is: Lisa Gerrard and Michael Edwards - The Memory Of The GOZEYet, I would advice to watch this movie, because it can be a caricature about us: if we stuck with our so called past mentally, we could become as dead as this character(and almost the whole movie) in most of our lives...

dustin roberts Epic! I loved this movie! The action scenes are really cool. the swordplay is a lot of fun. there are some bullet-time action scenes. the classic blind samurai portrayed through a lonesome girl is very intriguing. it's going to catch your attention and take you into ichi's world. ichi is special because, we feel for her, become attached to her, and don't want to see her suffer. "ichi" envelopes you through sound and hearing. we all know she is blind, and develop a keen sense of the sounds that trigger events. the shots are very cool, soothing, and warm colors express vibrancy and visual sensation. the play on sounds pulls the viewer into "ichi's" vision-less world. it's easy to fall in love with the main characters, because they have so much personality, and are very charismatic. i highly recommend this movie! It was awesome from beginning to end!

poikkeus Swordplay movies can come with pretty high standards, and the kind of production that might have been forgiven with 50s and 60s epics have to be rethought as we approach modern treatments. Fact is, ICHI is a fairly traditional version of the Blind Swordsman, though Haruka Ayase has a one-two punch of strong acting and good lucks. Dressed in rags, glowering, and compelling, Ayase is entirely convincing. Takao Osawa has winning chemistry with co-star, playing the drifter who had accidentally blinder his mother years before.The swordplay sequences are shot in mixed slow and regular motion, digital blood spurting everywhere. Despite the carnage, her blade is always clean, her fingernails perfectly manicured, and always looking breathtaking under the worst of situations. ICHI is not, however, about realism; it's an adventure-romance, and anyone looking for complete accuracy will be disappointed. The real problem comes with the villains - Riki Takeuchi, usually good with pulp roles, overdoes his role as baddie - a fault that's shared by other antagonists. The most satisfying swordplay yarns have original writing along with thrilling fights, but ICHI only the second part of the formula. As a result, the story is agreeable albeit rather ordinary.