Yutaka Nakamura Movies
The blind swordsman Zatoichi (Shintaro Katsu) goes up against an ambitious crime boss who isn't above kidnapping and murder. He must rescue a fireworks specialist who has been kidnapped for his expertise with gunpowder as a weapon. This film tells us something of the origins of Zatoichi's training in martial arts, as a way of compensating for his blindness, and his preferred method of using darkness as a weapon against sighted opponents. ~ Bruce Eder, Rovi
- Starring:
- Shintaro Katsu, Naoko Kubo, (more)
In this Japanese actioner a sightless swordsman and masseur living in feudal Japan begins working for a feudal lord preparing to battle his enemy. The swordsman is en route to his new employers when he is set upon by three of the enemy's men. The blind fellow's companion is killed, but he is able to hold his own and kill the raiders. He then listens to the request of a dying man and escorts a young woman to the home of her parents. She is kidnapped, but by using his super-sensitive powers of perception the swordsman saves her. More battle ensues, but in the end he gets the girl safely to her home. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Shintaro Katsu, Shiho Fujimura, (more)
- 1959
The H-Man rates as one of the most genuinely frightening Japanese horror films of the 1950s. When a minor-league drug runner completely vanishes, leaving only his clothes behind, detective Tominaga (Akihiko Hirata) investigates. Along the way, Tominaga makes the acquaintance of scientist Masada (Kenji Sahara), who theorizes that the missing doper was melted into a liquid "H-Man" as a result of being exposed to nuclear radiation. Sure enough, the H-Man soon resurfaces, seeking out victims to "dissolve" so that he can continue to survive. Director Inoshiro Honda's matter-of-fact approach to the material is far scarier than any of Honda's scream-and-shout "giant monster" pictures from the same era. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Yumi Shirakawa, Kenji Sahara, (more)
