Rating: 
Summary: The Most Popular Japanese Movie Of All Time!
Review: Akira Kurosawa's "Yojimbo" is seen by many as his most popular film, and as the most famous Japanese film ever,though "Rashomon" and "The Seven Samurai" are pretty close contenders also, which both just happen to be made by Kurosawa too! Many claim that Kurosawa is the greatest director of all time, and this film makes it easy to see why one might say that, great directing, and great acting by Toshiro Mifune and Tatsuya Nakadai, who are two rivals in the film, which cause a "showdown" closing scene. Mifune plays Sanjuro a bodyguard for hire who happens to come into a town where the people are at war with each other, he decides to play both sides, only cause more havok among the townspeople, all of this is done with a slight comic tone to it, which makes it a wonderful to watch. I don't want to give to much of the story away, but everyone, whether they're a Kurosawa fan, a moviebuff, a foreign film fan, or a wannabe filmmaker should hurry and buy this masterpiece! It's a one of a kind movie by a filmmaking legend, Akira Kurosawa!
Rating: 
Summary: Immaculate, Quiet Comedy.
Review: Although it's not a popular opinion I actually prefer Yojimbo to Kurosawa's epic Seven Samurai. It is funnier, it is smaller scale, and the music is some of the best you will hear - one part John Barry James Bond, to one part Japanese. The plot is so good, they remade it twice. Once as Fistful of Dollars, and once as Last Man Standing, but neither of those later films capture the story as well as Kurosawa.With gentle humour and a gradual building of tension, Kurosawa really gets you into the movie. Mifune (a regular in Kurosawa films) is wonderful, very understated, very comical and quietly moving. Although not as widely known as Seven Samurai, or Rashomon, this represents some of Kurosawa's greatest work. The attention to detail is incredible. It is entirely accessible to Western audiences. Kurosawa's films travel extremely well. The picture on the DVD could be better, but that's a minor quibble. This film is immaculate. You need this.
Rating:
Summary: Timeless Classic
Review: This was the first Kurosawa and Mifune movie that I've ever seen and enjoyed it right away. Mifune powerfully and also amusingly portrayed an unemployed and masterless samurai who stumbled upon a small corrupt town on the eve of war. This ronin decided to use the situation to his own advantage as well as for the good of the town. What resulted was mayhem, madness and magic. This movie abounds with comedy and will leave you satisfied to the very end.
Rating:
Summary: Stunning
Review: Oh, in the first 3 minutes I knew this was going to be great. From the gloomy intro with the wonderful music playing, to the suspenseful finale, this film never lets up. Masterful directing and a clever plot is what this piece of cinema offers you. This type of film is known as a Jidaigeki western. Oh, and the swordfights don't happen until the last 45 minutes of the movie, just so you know. I recommend watching this before watching Seven Samurai. This film is known as "The Bodyguard" in Japan. The movie Fistful of Dollars was a good remake of this film, so you might want to check that out after you've watched Yojimbo. But be warned - Last Man Standing was a very bad remake of Yojimbo so stay away from it. Unosuke has got to be one of the coolest villains ever. This was much better than Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. Toshiro Mifune and Tatsuya Nakadai's performances are unforgettable. And in case you're wondering, Ryo means "Gold coin" in Japanese. And so, with a mix of action, suspense and dark comedy, Yojimbo is hands down, the best film of the '60's.
Rating:
Summary: A great film that inspired many others
Review: This review is for the Criterion DVD edition of the film. This movie had scenes that have been imitated in dozens of other films. It ias also been remade several times, most notable in "A Fistfull of Dollars" This film started a short populatiry of Japanese movies doing films similar to westerns. The film itself has many scenes similar to the famous remake. After killing several gang members, the lead character tells the undertaker to start making more coffins. The film's opening titles are in English and short. I could only assume that they are not the original opening titles. The print quality is not perfect but is still acceptable. The DVD only has the theatrical trailer for special features, which is kind of a downer fr a film o this significance to be released through the Criterion Colection.
Rating: 
Summary: Great movie - bad DVD
Review: If you haven't seen this movie before, by all means buy this DVD. It is an excellent story by an excellent director with an excellent lead actor. However, if you have seen the movie before, or have seen other Criterion productions, then steer clear of this print. The contrast of the picture is good. But the actual movie often has lines and scratches throughout. I find it hard to believe that this is the only print that Criterion could utilize in making the DVD. Likewise, the opening credits are in English, instead of in Japanese like the Seven Samurai or Hidden Fortress DVDs. These English credits spill off the screen, and this is sort of a prelude to the quality of the rest of the DVD. Indeed, the film quality of the older Kurosawa movies issued by Criterion is far better than that of Yojimbo. So, buy this movie for the adventure and the exciting story. But if its quality photography you are after, just beware. Criterion usually does a good job but this ain't one of them.
Rating:
Summary: Possibly the best movie ever made!
Review: This is the film on which FISTFULL OF DOLLARS and LAST MAN STANDING were based. Although I love both of the remakes, the original still kicks their collective butts! Mifune plays Sanjuro a down-on-his luck master swordsman who happens to get falling-down drunk in a town where two clans are battling for supremacy. When he comes to, he realizes that there's easy drinking money to be made by playing one side off against the other as a bodyguard (yojimbo). He starts off hustling both sides, but gets personally involved when he realizes that one of the clans has enslaved a young woman by threatening her husband and son. When he's discovered helping her, he's almost killed. ALMOST killing him is the last mistake EITHER of the clans make! This is my favorite Kurosawa movie, and contains one of my favorite dialogue exchanges: Bad Guy: You'll just have to kill me! Sanjuro: It'll hurt... [SLICE] It's multi-layered, brilliantly acted and wonderfully executed by Kurosawa. If I could only watch one movie for the rest of my life, it might be this one, because EVERY TIME I watch it I catch some nuance that I missed before.
Rating:
Summary: A great film that inspired many others
Review: This review is for the Criterion DVD edition of the film. This movie had scenes that have been imitated in dozens of other films. It ias also been remade several times, most notable in "A Fistfull of Dollars" This film started a short populatiry of Japanese movies doing films similar to westerns. The film itself has many scenes similar to the famous remake. After killing several gang members, the lead character tells the undertaker to start making more coffins. The film's opening titles are in English and short. I could only assume that they are not the original opening titles. The print quality is not perfect but is still acceptable. The DVD only has the theatrical trailer for special features, which is kind of a downer fr a film o this significance to be released through the Criterion Colection.
Rating:
Summary: Grim and hilarious
Review: This is a much tighter, sharper film than The Seven Samurai, Kurosawa's more famous work. It's shorter, for one, and more seems to happen. 'You pretend to be heartless, but you're really a nice guy,' a peasant mockingly accuses Sanjuro, the jaded expert swordsman who is the 'yojimbo' of the title. Sanjuro seems very representative of Kurosawa's vision - although he is unhesitant in taking life, and extremely detached in regard to the large-scale web of treachery he initiates, there is an unkillable spark of humanity somewhere inside him. After dispensing of the villians, he spares one young cohort, angrily chastising him: "Go home! A long life eating rice is best!" The cast of villians is classic, showing Bond-like touches of distinction; Sanjuro's best and most menacing adversary, acted with a Kabuki-like poise and decadence, carries a pistol. In his strangely touching death scene, he idly asks Sanjuro: "You're a good person, aren't you...Please, could I have my gun; I feel sort of naked without it..." He then prepares to shoot Sanjuro, finds he doesn't have the strength, and succumbs to death almost with a sigh. My main complaint in this area is that many of the villians are killed at once, with little fanfare, which is in keeping with the way in which death is treated in the film, but still seems disappointing. While very little is explictly humorous, Kurosawa has a way of deriving very subtle black humor from the horror of the situation itself, and the very small extent to which most people are fazed by that horror. Sanjuro's casual attitude towards death is echoed by many of the characters, and I found myself laughing more than once. The movie's one main flaw it has in common with the Seven Samurai - although it may be shorter, it's still very long. A lot of space is taken up by unimportant conversations, which aren't redeemed by an exceptionally realistic ear for dialogue (although this may be more striking in the original Japanese). Especially considering its bleak import, it doesn't seem to have earned the right to go on for so long, but it's still a very good film.
Rating:
Summary: Yo Jimbo!
Review: I'll confess - I saw Leone's FIST FULL OF DOLLARS before the original YOJIMBO and enjoyed the western very much (I own the DVD). However, after seeing YOJIMBO, my vision of FIST FULL has declined, shrunken slightly in the shadow of its father. For a foreing language film, YOJIMBO is so visual and superbly made that a toddler could follow it, but it's complex and intriguing enough that an adult would want to. The story is lean and mean, and, unlike nearly every move made today, no unnecessary character and backstory junk is floating around to cloud the narrative. Most foreign films and classics are great - for students and buffs. This one can be enjoyed by anyone. If you haven't seen it, get up right now. Get in your car. Speed to your local video rental store. Buy the movie-style microwave popcorn. Go home, and buy this thing off Amazon, because it should be in your collection. If you're so anxious that you can't wait until UPS arrives, well, I guess you shoulda thought of that before you left the video store, genius! See this. Own it. It doesn't get much better.
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