I recently ordered this film on DVD,though I have seen it more than once on IFC (Independent Film Channel) and I have always found Kirosawa's films to be reflective of real life situations. People are basically a cross between good and evil, with some variations of extremes between the two. The ronin in this film is like a robinhood type slash heroic type knight who certainly takes advantage of the stupid feud between two dominant houses but also he helps a young couple escape certain doom, however his plans backfire and...well I am not going to tell the whole movie. I think Akira Kirosawa was the best filmmaker that has ever lived, next to Kubrick and I dare say Lynch. If you have never seen this film before you should see it without a doubt, some of the best films are in monochrone black and white so don't let that bother you. This is a humorous and insightful film, dealing with human nature and how ridiculous people look when they go to extremes. It pays to just sit back and be a clearful observer, taking advantage from people guided solely by emotion.
"Yojimbo" may be Akira Kurosawa's most approachable film. On one level, it is pure entertainment. Mifune is perfect as the grubby super samurai. He embodies the anti-hero, the man-with-no-name who is not cultured or pure but still uses his strength on the side of the right. The bad men are clearly bad, and identify themselves as such. The fight scenes are flashy, unlike the realistic sword fights of "The Seven Samurai."On another level, "Yojimbo" shows Kurosawa's feelings about the encroaching capitalism and it's effect on Japanese culture. The businessmen have replaced the outlaw bandits and the villains. In a normal world, the corrupt Yakuza would swarm over the innocent workers and corrupt their children. Here, Kurosawa embodies a force of resistance. A samurai who can pit sword against pistol and out-fight ten men at once. He is a hero.It is precisely these metaphors that lifts "Yojimbo" beyond a simple chambra (swordfight) flick, and make it a Kurosawa movie. I highly recomend this film.
Yojimbo is great entertainment. What's not to like about this rootless ronin, wandering..who knows where? I love the opening scene with Toshiro's mighty back, his face toward the mountain. How oddly Paramount-ish the film is..anybody remember the Indiana Jones scene with Indy's back...Indy looking at the mountain. Spielberg said that, as a kid, he used his own crayola version of the mountain logo (Spielberg means "play-mountain" in German).We know how much he and Lucas loved Kurasawa films..they point to the Hidden Fortress, but, heck, what about Yojimbo? Oh, I think they took a page from Kuraswa's notebook, don't you? Check the two scenes against one another. You'll see.Yeah, It's influential. I won't go into the American Westerns influenced by the film. Let's say this: It's fabulous dark entertainment, and, after viewing other Kurasawa films, perhaps Yojimbo gains a certain depth. One recognizes characters from other films..it's like seeing family members in a whole new light with new skills that surprise you, make you respect them. Ok. Maybe not Toshiro Mifune. He's always cool. I always love him. He's always compelling to watch, even when he isn't really doing anything. There's always the potential for action that thrills.Hey, and what cooler scene in any movie than the dog walking down the street with a human hand in its mouth, then the pan to Mifune, and his reaction?Absolutely priceless.
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.
Great film
