Yojimbo (1961) [Film Review]

Yojimbo; or, A Fistful of Ryo

      Listen, old man. I’ll get paid for killing. And this town is full of men who deserve to die. Think about it. Sebei, Ushitora, the gamblers and drifters; with them gone, the town would have a fresh start.

Yojimbo (1961) is yet another classic samurai film directed by the master of filmmaking Akira Kurosawa. The story about a mysterious ronin who cleans up the town from bad guys became so popular that it spawned a sequel, Sanjuro (1962), two unofficial continuations (Incident at Blood Pass and Zatoichi Meets Yojimbo from 1970), and countless remakes, the most popular of which is Sergio Leone’s A Fistful of Dollars (1964). Let’s take a look at Toshiro Mifune’s, arguably, most iconic role:

Release Info

Directed by: Akira Kurosawa Starring: Toshiro Mifune, Tatsuya Nakadai, Eijiro Tono

Language: Japanese Original Title: 用心棒 Runtime: 110 min

 

Synopsis

Japan, 1860s. After the fall of the Tokugawa Shogunate, many samurai became masterless. One of them, calling himself Kuwabatake Sanjuro (Toshiro Mifune), wanders aimlessly through a desolate countryside. He eventually reaches a small town that is the battle ground between two rival gangs. Ushitora (Kyu Sazanaka), with the help of the town’s major (Kamatari Fujiwara), wants to fully control the town, but Sebei (Seizaburo Kawazu), supported in turn by the sake brewer (Takashi Shimura), also has the same aspirations. Sanjuro wittingly decides to set in motion a game that will lead to the annihilation of the two gangs. Unfortunately, his plans are interrupted with the arrival of Unosuke (Tatsuya Nakadai), the younger brother of Ushitora.

The Honour of a Samurai

I have seen Yojimbo for the first time 6 years ago, on Criterion DVD, and it instantly became one of my all-time movies, together with Kurosawa’s direct sequel Sanjuro. Toshiro Mifune is undeniably too cool for school as a shabby ronin who tricks the baddies and settles the score.

 

The story itself may be a bit hard to follow upon initial viewing because there is a short exposition riddled with many characters, but you can get the gist of what is going on as Kuwabatake Sanjuro slashes his way through expendable rogues. I will never get enough of a scene in which he rescues a family in distress!

 

If you are a Star Wars fan, then keep an eye out for an “arm cut” sequence that George Lucas repeated verbatim in A New Hope. Part of me likes to think that the plotline of Yojimbo is exactly what happens to Obi-Wan during his 20-year-long stay on Tatooine. (On a side note, did you know that Toshiro Mifune was originally offered the part of Obi-Wan Kenobi?)

Going back to the movie, Yojimbo was allegedly inspired by a 1942 film called The Glass Key, but the researchers of Kurosawa also point at Dashiell Hammett’s Red Harvest (1929) novel as a major source of inspiration. Regardless of the influences, Yojimbo remains one of the first action stories with a nameless hero as the protagonist (Sanjuro actually makes up his name in the two movies).

 

With regard to performances, Toshio Mifune is evidently awesome as Sanjuro. Second best performance is the one of Tatsuya Nakadai as the malevolent samurai with a revolver. Nakadai is currently 87 and I wish him long, healthy years, because he is one of the few living legends from the Kurosawa era who are still around. Yojimbo has also many supporting parts done by frequent collaborators of Kurosawa, including Takashi Shimura, Eijiro Tono, and Susumu Fujita.

 

In addition, the music score by Masaru Sato is just amazing. It feels very experimental, yet it perfectly fits every scene. I absolutely agree with an interpretation that the jaunty sounds of flutes and big band are meant to reflect Sanjuro’s state of mind.

Recommendations

Highly recommended to anyone who wants to explore the lighter stuff of Akira Kurosawa’s impressive filmography. Yojimbo is a wonderful story that blends action, satire, and folk tale. If you have enjoyed a Fistful of Dollars with Clint Eastwood, then Yojimbo will be even greater entertainment. Check it out if you can because this film is a true 60-year-old gem. Gusts of wind have never been so epic.

Overall score: 9/10