Rating: 
Summary: another triumph
Review: Kurosawa has another classic with Yojimbo. He creates a character who basically has no alliances and enjoys playing both sides to make more money, and yet you love the character to death.Sanjuro Kuwabatake (Toshiro Mifune) Is a wandering samurai who doesn't really care where he ends up next. He wanders into a small town ruled by two rival families and decides that there is money to be had. He shows off his skills and lets one family hire him to help sway the balance of power and eventually destory the other family. he then makes an alliance with the other family, forcing them to pay more than their rivals offered. They plan on killing sanjuro after he helps them, but sanjuro is too smart to fall into this obvious trap, and proceeds to the other family, and makes them pay more than their rivals. It goes on like this, and eventually all his flip-floping catches up to him. Mifune, yet again, gives us a wonderful performance, as we've come to expect from him. Kurosawa creates a complex and very engrossing experience. And although there is an apparent lack of action, he still makes it grab your attention. This movie flows very nicely, and is fun to watch. There are some themes that occur in the movie, yet it is still easy to watch. This is a great movie for people who want to get into the work of Kurosawa but are not yet ready for the three hour epic that is Seven Samurai.
Rating:
Summary: Great film
Review: This is a Western/Action/Drama sort of film. You'll enjoy it if you like Westerns because this one is top-notch! I must admit the fight scenes were way too short, but impressive nonetheless. This film focuses on a ronin samurai, Sanjuro, in the year 1860. He comes across a village that has two gangs fighting over the control of the village. The gangs both see Sanjuro's great swordsmanship skills and they both want to recruit him. Sanjuro then secretly joins BOTH gangs without them knowing and plays tricks on the gangs, restoring peace to the town. Hehe... Very clever and cool film. Kurosawa is a genius. Hope ya enjoy it. Fight scenes score - B+ Movie plot score - A
Rating: 
Summary: The Reason why Clint Eastwood has a Career
Review: This movie is my favorite film of all time. It could have so easily been a straight ahead action film, but avoids the trap by sticking in so many pivotal turns that the intensity only builds right up to the end.
It is a formula that works, evidently, for the story itself has been remade at least two other times (first as Fistfull of Dollards and later as Last Man Standing with Bruce Willis) and inspired an equally classic sequel.
With that said, I will agree with another reviewer that, yes, although the film is fantastic the print is absolutely questionable. The scratched print is the only thing keeping this review from becoming a 5, which is what the film deserves. My VHS copy seems to have been taken from a better print, which is incredibly heart breaking. The scratches don't last that long, however, and doesn't detract at all from the pure wonder that this movie is.
Rating:
Summary: Kurosawa and Mifune triumph again
Review: Yet another triumph from director Akira Kurosawa and his favorite star, Toshiro Mifune, Yojimbo is one of the more influential films Kurosawa made. Although the simple "man in the middle pitting two sides against each other" has been seen as early as Dashiell Hammett's Red Harvest, Yojimbo has been remade twice (as A Fistful of Dollars and the Walter Hill/Bruce Willis actioner Last Man Standing) and has long been recognized as one of the greatest samurai films ever made. Mifune stars as Sanjuro, a run-down samurai with no current direction. He happens upon a village with two feuding factions and instantly sees the opportunity. He hires himself out as a bodyguard, first to one then the other and has them wipe each other out with little physical effort of his own. But don't think that Kurosawa misses any opportunity to show off Sanjuro's skill with the sword. However, their appearances are few and therefore to be treasured. Mifune is perfect as the has-been samurai and Kurosawa's dark sense of humor has never been so showcased. Although not as praised as his masterpiece Seven Samurai, Yojimbo is more accessible to the average viewer and is thus a perfect introduction to the director's work.
Rating: 
Summary: "I want three coffins... make that four".
Review: "Yojimbo" is one of the better known films of Japanese director Akira Kurosawa because of its notoriety as the inspiration for Clint Eastwood's "A Fistful of Dollars" (1964) and Bruce Willis' "Last Man Standing" (1996). The film opens with a wandering samurai (Toshiro Mifune) enertering a town being torn apart by bitter business rivals. After being informed of the town's situation by the tavern keeper Gonji (Eijiro Tono), the samurai decides to play both rivals against each other in the hope that they will wipe each other out. The plan works and soon the chaos he causes reaches the terminal point. When the samurai finally leaves the town, he leaves behind a load of business for the local coffin maker and a liberated and grateful town. Yojimbo does not possess the depth of The Seven Samurai (1954) and its jumping back and forth between drama and comedy is a bit jarring at times. Yet, the film succeeds in entertaining and lends credence to the argument that Toshiro Mifune is not only one of the greatest Japanese actors of all-time, but is one of the greatest actors of all-time period. Try and catch this movie on DVD because the clarity of the subtitles are vastly superior to that of the VHS version.
Rating:
Summary: Kurosawa + Mifune = Magic
Review: It had been years since I have last seen Yojimbo. When I put the Criterion DVD into my player, I was enthralled by all 110 minutes. Kurosawa has made so many truly classic films, sometimes his other works are overlooked. This film, though not as good as Seven Samurai/Ran/Ikiru/Rashomon is still better then 99% of the films that have ever been made. In short, the movie is about a lone samurai without allegiance coming to a town of comical loons. The desolate looking town is split between 2 factions, each with their own hired goons. The town is literally being torn apart by them. In walks "Sanjuro" to right the situation!?! Toshiro Mifune is excellent as the no-name, bad mannered, shoulder-shrugging, toothpick-biting samurai. He decides to play each side against the other to start his plan of riding the town of their problem. The film is wonderfully paced, has nice twists, solid dialogue, great acting and an overall warmness in all aspects. My only problem is not with the movie, but with the DVD. I own many Criterion DVDs and this has to be the worse in overall quality. The print quality was a letdown, surely there must be a better print that was not used. If you are a "true lover" of film, then I highly recommend this film. You will not be disappointed. thank you for your time, David
Rating:
Summary: Another great film from Kurosawa
Review: Yojimbo means bodyguard. Sanjuro is a poor masterless Samurai. He wanders into a town that has two groups fighting each other for control over the territory. When they see Sanjuro's skill at fighting they all want him on their side. Sanjuro realizing how evil and annoying both side is, he very cleverly plays tricks on them, switching sides behind their backs, and taking advantage of them. Soon though he is caught betraying one side, and they beat him up and imprison him. But he still is clever and escapes. Now the fight is on. This film has the best direction and acting you can get. The story is entertaining, humorous, suspenseful, and tragic. The dialog is very witty. There is not much action though. Also, don't expect much intellectual concerns, or moral stands as is present in other Kurorsawa films. This is not Kurosawa's best film, but it is still a classic, and I highly recommend this to fans of Japanese or Samurai films, and anyone who appreciates world cinema. This film also has a sequel simply called "Sanjuro," as well as a couple western remakes. 5 stars.
Rating:
Summary: Superb film-making...
Review: ...and superb acting by Mifune make this one of Kurosawa's better (and more influential) Samurai movies. Some off-kilter comedy (ie. the dog with the hand!!!) and well choreographed fight sequences make for an entertaining experience.
Rating:
Summary: witty, emotional, funny
Review: This is the most easy to digest of all the Kurosawa samurai movies I've seen - better than its sequel (but what isn't), shorter than Seven Samurai, and less cheesy than the Hidden Fortress. Toshiro Mifune in this film reminded me a bit of Clint Eastwood in "Unforgiven" - characters that are both good and bad, but you root for them anyway BECAUSE they're both good and bad, and thus so believable as characters. Simple but great plot, and the cinematography is of the usual Kurosawa masterpiece quality. Don't miss this.
Rating:
Summary: Another Seven Samurai.
Review: For many Seven Samurai might have been Kurosawa's best movie, but Yojimbo isn't too far behind. This movie is crafty and funny. Not happy funny, but more dark funny. Mifune is a trip to watch in this film. Even more delightful than in Seven Samurai. It's hilarious how his character (Sanjuro) masterfully manipulates the two warring factions into destroying each other. His plans were going all well until.....well I can't give the story away, you'll just have to buy the Dvd and watch it. But if you buy the movie and watch it, never take your eye off Mifune. Look at his face, the ways how is eyes move up and down, the startled look he'll give sometimes or the look of contemplation as he devices his foxy and cunning plans. Mifune is a brilliant actor and plays the silent (or laid back) role quite well. Better than any other actor I've seen. Yojimbo gets 5 stars.
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