Rent Yojimbo (1961)

truly rewarding experience - Yojimbo review by griggs

Having thoroughly enjoyed Sergio Leone's Dollars Trilogy last year—especially A Fistful of Dollars—I was eager to finally check out Yojimbo as part of Japanuary. Kurosawa's influence on Leone is undeniable, and seeing the original story that inspired A Fistful of Dollars was a truly rewarding experience.

Yojimbo is a film that even those new to Kurosawa's work can easily appreciate. The plot is razor-sharp, and the two hours spent watching Sanjuro (played brilliantly by Toshiro Mifune) navigate his way through two rival clans flew by. Kurosawa's critique of unchecked capitalism, vividly showcasing the exploitation and suffering of the townspeople, is both thought-provoking and engaging.

The film is a visual masterpiece, with stark contrasts between the dusty town and the vibrant green of the surrounding countryside. The cinematography, particularly the use of low-angle shots to emphasize Sanjuro's power, adds to the film's visual impact. Mifune's portrayal of Sanjuro is captivating, perfectly balancing the character's cunning and humour with a subtle undercurrent of moral ambiguity. This, paired with music equal to Morricone's Fistful of Dollars soundtrack in terms of impact, adds so much personality to the story.

Kurosawa delivers a crowdpleaser that balances depth with fun. I can already tell this is one I'll return to repeatedly. If you've been on the fence about Kurosawa, Yojimbo is the perfect gateway film. Highly recommended.

Masterpiece of Action Cinema - Yojimbo review by GI

Immensely influential and setting new standards in screen violence director Akira Kurosawa was influenced by the films of John Ford and Howard Hawks and in turn he became a major influence on other directors. His epic film Seven Samurai (1954) was remade as The Magnificent Seven (1960) and Sergio Leone took Yojimbo and remade it as A Fistful Of Dollars (1964). Yojimbo is an exciting action film set in feudal Japan. A 'Ronin' (or masterless samurai) (Toshirô Mifune) arrives in a dirty town and discovers it's run by two rival gangs. He manipulates both sides in a plan to rid the town of all of them. Shot in widescreen , which was not liked by Hollywood directors at the time, Kurosawa created a rundown world of corruption and effectively demystified the samurai code which had been so damaging to his country in the Second World War. This is a violent and exciting film although the Japanese theatrical style of screen acting may seem unusual today it is a masterpiece of cinema and much praised in studies of cinema. There's plenty of swordplay, and a clever use of imagery to represent the collapse of the society and morals (images of dogs appear regularly). Much of Kurosawa's style and images heavily influenced cinematic action to this day and consequently this is a I urge every film fan to see. Great stuff.

Glorious, repays re-watching - Yojimbo review by MR

The film grows on you. Story is good, framing of shots is fantastic, and so is Mifune. It is worth watching once, then watching again with the commentary which is included in the extras, as there is interesting information about Kurosawa's liking of the wide screen format.