Zatoichi and the Doomed Man (座頭市逆手斬り, Zatōichi sakate-giri) is a 1965 Japanese chambara film directed by Kazuo Mori and starring Shintaro Katsu as the blind masseur Zatoichi.
While in jail, his cellmate Shimazo (Mizuhara) claims to have been jailed on false charges of housebreaking, arson, and murder, pleading with Ichi to contact one of his influential associates who can vouch for his innocence and to inform his wife and daughter of his situation.
[3] Brian McKay, writing for eFilmCritic.com, gave Zatoichi and the Doomed Man three out of five stars and said that "[w]ith the exception of one very funny Zatoichi impersonator, and one or two excellent action sequences, Zatoichi and the Doomed Man is a surprisingly lackluster installment, due to underdeveloped characters and a truncated ending that feels as if someone edited out the film's third act using a dull katana.
[...] While I'll still take a mediocre ZATOICHI movie from thirty years ago over a crappy Hollywood film of the present day, this one leaves the viewer with a sense of unfinished business on the narrative side, and rushed work on the production side.
Worth seeing for the bright points mentioned above, but overall a forgettable entry to the series.