Dirk V
Reviewer

      It is always interesting to see the original films where modern movies get their inspiration. For many popular western films in the ’60s and ’70s, the inspiration came from Japanese samurai films. “The Magnificent Seven” was based on Akira Kurosawa’s “Seven Samurai,” and “Fistful of Dollars” was inspired by another Kurosawa film—“Yojimbo.”
 
      In “Yojimbo,” Toshiro Mifune plays Sanjuro, an out-of-work samurai who wanders into a town torn between two rival gang bosses. For seemingly no other reason than boredom and perhaps pity for the townspeople, Sanjuro decides to stay in the town and attempt to pit the bosses against each other in an all-out war. He continually plays off of their insecurities and their desire to enlist him in their services to build the tension between the two until a battle finally erupts.
 
      The plot of the film was original for its time. It has been recycled many times since, but even in its most recent incarnation, “Last Man Standing”, it was still entertaining. It is Kurosawa’s pacing of the plot that makes this film great. The film is not all action; in fact, there are only three real battle scenes. The story focuses more on Sanjuro’s attempts to start a battle than on the swordfights.
 
     “Yojimbo” also benefits from strong lead acting. Mifune was a great actor. While “Yojimbo” may not be his best known film, his performance in it is excellent. He manages to create a warm, compassionate character who can destroy anyone who gets in his way. This is no easy feat. It is difficult to believingly portray a compassionate tough guy, but Mifune pulls it off and makes it believable.
 
     Kurosawa once again managed to create a great samurai film. It is almost unfair to classify him as a genre artist, but he was to samurai films what Hitchcock was to suspense. Not only did he manage to make them entertaining, he gave them style and a credibility that other similar films lacked. Without his direction, this film would not be as enjoyable.
 
     “Yojimbo” is a terrific film and all fans of samurai, western and martial arts films should enjoy it and love it.