by RUPERT BOTTENBERG

On these shores, Japan's Kitano "Beat" Takeshi is largely known for playing stone-faced, Bronsonian hardasses in the equally tough-as-nails gangster dramas he's directed (Violent Cop, Sonatine and the recent Brother). Less visible is his sentimental side, displayed in his films Kikujiro and Hana-Bi. Even less so, his comedic skills. Prior to his film debut in Merry Christmas, Mister Lawrence, Takeshi's absolute-zero deadpan, signature facial tics and distinct, understated humour made him a leading figure in manzai, Japanese stand-up comedy.

All three aspects of Takeshi's creative character come through clearly and capably in his latest film, Zatoichi. It's also a departure, his first period piece and his first film adapted from pre-existing material. Zatoichi is Takeshi's take on one of the leading lights of classic '60s samurai cinema, an excellent series of 25 films (more than two a year!), which followed the adventures of a blind, wandering masseur/gambler whose exquisite swordfighting skills surfaced when the situation demanded it.

The Zatoichi character was always a lovable goof, as quick to get into trouble as out of it, and Takeshi handles the role perfectly, making it as much his own as Shintaro Katsu, the original Zatoichi, ever did. Those are big wooden sandals to fill - Shintaro's Zatoichi remains, with all apologies to the great Mifune Toshiro, the genre's most popular figure in its homeland.

The part of course requires a strong supporting cast to play off of, and Takeshi has rounded one up. His longtime comedy sidekick Guadalcanal Taka is charming as the hapless Shinchiki, and Tadanobu Asano (who's hard to forget as the psychopathic Kakihara in Ichii the Killer) is solid as a morally complicated sword-for-hire.

Takeshi does bring certain personal twists to the character (um, what's with the bleach job, Beat?) and to what is a fairly archetypal Japanese swordfighter yarn about a town dominated by murderous crooks, with a bitter revenge subplot. In particular, he's subverted the Japanese period-piece cliché of the happy-dancing-peasants finale by enlisting the Stripes, Japan's leading modern tap-dance troupe, to choreograph a magnificent musical closing. Oh, but don't worry - there's still plenty of vicious, lightning-fast, blood-geyser swordfights too.

Zatoichi opens Friday, June 18

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