Yojimbo

In 1950 Akira Kurosawa became an international star with Rashomon. 1954 he released Seven Samurai. In 1957 Kurosawa’s adaptation of Macbeth Throne of Blood was released. Then in 1961 Yojimbo came out, which is considered one of the greatest rogue hero movies ever made.It stars Toshiro Mifune as a nameless ronin, masterless samurai. Dozens of movies had featured such a character before, but this was a complete change. Mifune's ronin was disheveled, was unshaven, he appeared to only care about his own personal gain rather than the samurai code, and yet he actually had a heart. This completely remade this character type in Japanese cinema.The story takes place at the end of the Tokugawa era and portrays it as a desperate and lawless period. For instance, Mifune comes across a farmer whose son runs off to be a gambler because he feels like he’s starving at home. His mother says that kids have gone mad. Later Mifune sees a dog carrying a man’s hand in its mouth.The heart of the story takes place in a town in the midst of a battle between two corrupt businessmen Ushitora an inn keeper and Seibei a brothel owner. Each has hired a gang of ruffians who hold constant street battles for control. Mifune decides to play the two sides against each other for what appears to be his own profit. That’s where the title of the film comes from, Yojimbo, meaning bodyguard as he rents himself off to the two warring parties. To prove his bona fides he cuts down some of the ruffians. It turns out Mifune has a conscious however, and his going back and forth between Ushitora and Seibei as a strategy to improve the town.There have been plenty of other movies about ronin but Yojimbo came to define the character type. Mifune was a master swordsman, was a strategic thinker despite his rough exterior, and ultimately had a heart despite his image of selling himself to the highest bidder. Many enjoyed the narrative of Rashomon with multiple perspectives. Seven Samurai became a classic of the samurai genre, and created the storyline of a team coming together for a cause. Throne of Blood was a haunting drama. Yojimbo however is more like a dark comedy of the era. Mifune for example, before he kills his first three criminals tells them what he’s about to do to them will hurt. Then tells the coffin maker to build two caskets, then looks back and says maybe three. When Ushitora and Seibei’s men are about to fight they are more afraid than anything else and constantly fall back at any aggressive move by the other side, and barely get to within striking distance of each other.The movie was hugely popular and led to a number of western remakes, most famously Sergio Leone’s A Fistful of Dollars. That’s for good reason because the movie is a classic and highly enjoyable to watch.C

First time I've seen this film and I loved it. It is quite dark about human nature, unlike The Seven Samurai, Rashomon, and The Hidden Fortress. It is more graphically violent than these previous film, but not intolerably so. It is a story of how a samurai successfully pits two groups of gangsters in a small town who have been quarreling against each other already. The samurai, who resembles a drifter in an American western (e.g., Shane or The Searchers), once arrives to the town concocts his plan to destroy these rivaling gangs to give the town a new beginning. It is a film that has influences from American films and has also influenced other American films, particularly Sergio Leone's Man with no Name saga.

Jumped right into Yojimbo after watching seven samurai. While Yojimbo is and enjoyable film, I found it lacking when compared to seven samurai. I know I shouldnt compare the two but having seen samurai so recently I cant help it. The story is great, and Mifune is awesome but I found the story difficult to follow and the minor characters uninteresting. And the way the bad guy wields his gun from the front of his robe made me chuckle more than once. The ending is great which saved the film for me.

As you watch this you will think, "I've seen this movie before..." This is because the plot of Yojimbo and many of its plot elements have been stolen by filmmakers the world over, including Sergio Leone for "A Fistful of Dollars" with Clint Eastwood and Walter Hill for "Last Man Standing" with Bruce Willis. Director Kurosawa Akira uses a wry style here, and the music is quirky and fun, and Mifune Toshiro is brilliant, as always.

Of course, they speak Japanese, and I had to read the English subtitles, which is somewhat distracting from the movie. It's still enjoyable, and I will probably watch it several times in the future. It's a Samurai-sword action movie, with both fighting and comedy. The protagonist is a traveling Samurai who finds a village under the oppression of two rival gangs, and proceeds to use wisdom and psychology to end the fighting. In B&W.

Akira Kurosawa's YOJIMBO is a samurai movie set in Japan in 1860. That period was characterized by political turmoils and deep social changes. Samurais found no masters anymore and had to survive by selling their wit and their arms if they didn't want to turn into ronins, into mad warriors. In the far country, they could appear as substitutes of the law officers who didn't dare to show up.Toshiro Mifune stars as the no-name samurai who will benefit from the war going on between two gangs in one of these out-of-the-law towns. At this point, if you're an average movie lover, you will have recognized in YOJIMBO several themes used two or three years later by numerous italo-american filmmakers responsible for the revival of the western genre between 1962 and 1970.In fact, while I was admiring the skill of Toshiro Mifune, I couldn't refrain myself from counting the numerous situations borrowed by Sergio Leone in his Eastwood trilogy. Close-ups of the ugly faces of the outlaws, use of the widescreen format in order to film in the best possible way the streets duels, a musical score which haunts your mind and is part of the action, bloody details (the hand in the dog's mouth...) and a great sense of humor.I love Sergio Leone's movies but I think that it's of the utmost importance or simply by politeness to remember that YOJIMBO is the first Spaghetti western and that Akira Kurosawa has practically invented the myth of the no-name stranger.A scene access, colour bars and a trailer as bonus features. Great sound for a great musical score but, unfortunately, a master copy with such defaults as lines or white and black spots.A pre-Clint DVD.

Strikingly different to many other Kurosawa films, with a slightly tongue-in-cheek feel rather than the often grim fatalism of his other samurai movies. The 'spaghetti Western' influences are blatant, & the characters enjoyably over-acted. Lots of build up, with brief, explosive action sequences. It's worth watching Sergio Leone's unofficial Western remake of Yojimbo - A Fistful of Dollars - for comparisons.

Another classic Kurosawa film. It is interesting to see a glimpse of feudal Japan and I am sure a Japanese audience will appreciate the raison d’etre and the humor of the film. However it is still thought provoking to us westerners and very enjoyable. Another winner from Kurosawa!

arrived early , good quality , great film

this is a great film, weird & wonderful. japanese classics on BFI are always well done with good subtitles and production values but often discs are wonky: they freeze or skip and need to be returned. amazon is always very good about replacements, but this has happened twice already with my BFI discs so beware.

This is quality. Toshiro Mifune is excellent and believable as the wandering samurai and the rest of the casting is top notch. It's such an interesting area - the Japanese Western/East meets West/Oriental Cowboy. A very good film - well filmed and directed, it's a must have for film lovers I would say. So glad to have found it here on Amazon and to have it in my collection.