Yojimbo (The Criterion Collection)
by Akira Kurosawa
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Actor: Eijirô Tôno, Isuzu Yamada, Tatsuya Nakadai, Toshirô Mifune, Yôko TsukasaDirector: Akira Kurosawa
Cinematographer: Kazuo Miyagawa
Editor: Akira Kurosawa
Producer: Akira Kurosawa
Writer: Akira Kurosawa
Producer: Ryûzô Kikushima
Writer: Ryûzô Kikushima
Producer: Tomoyuki Tanaka
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: Japanese (Unknown), Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono; English (Subtitled); Japanese (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono
Format: Black & White, Dolby, DVD, Letterboxed, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
Picture Format: 2.35:1
Running Time: 75 minutes
Published: 1999-09-01
DVD Release Date: 1999-09-28
Audience Rating: Unrated
Studio: Criterion
DVD Reviews of Yojimbo (The Criterion Collection)
DVD Review: Hooray for cynicism!
Summary: 5 Stars
Those looking for redeeming social messages might want to look elsewhere, but if you're in the mood for a violent, stylishly shot, and decidedly nihilistic good time you should be sure to give Yojimbo a look. Presaging the role Clint Eastwood would soon make famous in the Sergio Leone's spaghetti westerns, not to mention countless action-movie leading men since, Yojimbo helped to introduce the concept of the amoral antihero as main character, as well as give cinema (Japanese or otherwise) one of its all-time most fascinating figures. Played by the great Toshiro Mifune at his glowering, imperious best, samurai-turned-drifter Sanjuro Kuwabatake is one of film history's great protagonists-hard drinker (don't interrupt Sanjuro when he's enjoying his sake), master strategist, seemingly peerless swordsman, and unapologetic self-seeker. He's the kind of guy you can't help but like; even if his actions would be considered reprehensible in most times and places, at least he doesn't proclaim any lofty ideals or lay claim to any moral high ground while killing people. As a samurai with no master and no clan to owe allegiance to, going through a time of flux in Japan, Sanjuro enters a world where old values don't apply and he has only his own survival to think about. Since he's found himself where life is cheap, the movie seems to be saying, Sanjuro's actions, underhanded or not, are as justifiable as anyone else's. Besides, as Sanjuro himself notes, at least the people he kills are even worse than he is.
Anyway, as the movie opens, Sanjuro wanders into a town where commerce is at a virtual stop (with the exception of the local undertaker's business, which is thriving) and the factions of two local bosses are fighting each other for dominion. Sanjuro quickly sees there's money to be made off the conflict for anyone with his combination of flexible morality and astonishing skills with a sword, and he just as quickly starts playing the two sides against each other to see which boss will dig deeper to procure his services. As hostilities escalate, there's all sorts of conniving and backhanded maneuvering from everyone involved, with occasional breaks for Sanjuro to slice and dice whatever poor folks get in the way of his objectives. The violence obviously isn't as graphic or realistic as what you'll get from later color movies, but the battle scenes are shot in a nicely frenetic and unflinching manner, even if they consist largely of Sanjuro cutting through his opponents without breaking much of a sweat. At the very least, the fight scenes here are certainly preferable to the constant CGI-fests action fans are subjected to nowadays.
It becomes evident early on that this movie isn't going to be entirely serious (if the bouncy, jokey score doesn't clue you in, the dog running up to the main character with a severed hand in its mouth might), but the comic elements don't subtract from the movie's violent, morally ambiguous nature. If anything, the film's humor plays up the absurdity of the conflict into which the protagonist enters and the principals involved in it. In one scene that's especially indicative of the movie's cynical point of view, Sanjuro excuses himself from a planned battle right before it starts, and proceeds to watch with amusement as the two sides tentatively approach each other and back off over and over, obviously not feeling quite as brave as they did before it actually came time to fight.
All humor aside, though, this is still a technically stunning movie, especially in its visual depictions of its stark 19th-century setting. The cinematography features tons of great, sweeping shots of a town square as desolate physically as it is morally; the final battle is especially well-shot, with the two sides (Sanjuro and everybody else) slowly moving towards each other as the wind blows dust all around them, the score turning darker in order to ratchet the tension up even more.
It's obviously not an easy task to rank this movie among Kurosawa's filmography, although of the several that I've seen I'd put this one a very small notch below The Seven Samurai for the number-one spot. That said, though, in terms of ideas, influence, and sheer coolness of its protagonist, Yojimbo belongs on the short list of the greatest movies of all time. Guy-movie enthusiasts everywhere owe it a watch or two.
Description of Yojimbo (The Criterion Collection)
This semi-comic 1961 film by legendary director Akira Kurosawa ("Rashomon", "Ran") was inspired by the American Western genre. Kurosawa mainstay Toshir?¥ Mifune ("The Seven Samurai") plays a drifting samurai for hire who plays both ends against the middle with two warring factions, surviving on his wits and his ability to outrun his own bad luck. Eventually the samurai seeks to eliminate both sides for his own gain and to define his own sense of honor. "Yojimbo" is striking for its unorthodox treatment of violence and morality, reserving judgment on the actions of its main character and instead presenting an entertaining tale with humor and much visual excitement. One of the inspirations for the "spaghetti Westerns" of director Sergio Leone and later surfacing as a remake as "Last Man Standing" with Bruce Willis, this film offers insight into a director who influenced American films even as he was influenced by them. "--Robert Lane"This semi-comic 1961 film by legendary director Akira Kurosawa (Rashomon, Ran) was inspired by the American Western genre. Kurosawa mainstay Toshirô Mifune (The Seven Samurai) plays a drifting samurai for hire who plays both ends against the middle with two warring factions, surviving on his wits and his ability to outrun his own bad luck. Eventually the samurai seeks to eliminate both sides for his own gain and to define his own sense of honor. Yojimbo is striking for its unorthodox treatment of violence and morality, reserving judgment on the actions of its main character and instead presenting an entertaining tale with humor and much visual excitement. One of the inspirations for the "spaghetti Westerns" of director Sergio Leone and later surfacing as a remake as Last Man Standing with Bruce Willis, this film offers insight into a director who influenced American films even as he was influenced by them. --Robert Lane
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