Yojimbo

Starring:

Toshirō Mifune, Tatsuya Nakadai, Yōko Tsukasa, Isuzu Yamada, Daisuke Katō

Director:

Akira Kurosawa

Genres:

Drama, Thriller

Tagline:

Seven Samurai if it Was Just One Samurai!

Overview:

A nameless ronin, or samurai with no master, enters a small village in feudal Japan where two rival businessmen are struggling for control of the local gambling trade. Taking the name Sanjuro Kuwabatake, the ronin convinces both silk merchant Tazaemon and sake merchant Tokuemon to hire him as a personal bodyguard, then artfully sets in motion a full-scale gang war between the two ambitious and unscrupulous men.

Date Reviewed:

March 18, 2024

Review:

Interesting watching this after Fistful of Dollars because you can clearly see each reference that was lifted, sometimes verbatim. However, the original remains the better film. Our samurai has more charisma than Clint Eastwood’s “Man with No Name.” The townspeople have more personality. The film simply feels more alive.

Producers:

Tomoyuki Tanaka, Ryūzō Kikushima

Writers:

Akira Kurosawa, Ryūzō Kikushima

Cinematographer:

Kazuo Miyagawa

Runtime:

1 hour and 50 minutes

Budget:

0

Box Office:

0