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Summary: Eat your heart our Bruce Willis
Review: To tell you the truth I had not watched "The Last Man Standing", which was the hollywood version of the Kurasawa Masterpiece "Yojimbo". "Yojimbo" as of many Kurasawa movies is set in 18th to 19th Century Japan. The whole plot revolves around a Samurai called Sanjuro (played by Toshiro Mifune, who gives a brilliant performance throughout the film), who without any lord over him, roams from town to town in search of shelter and food, and sometimes as in the case of this movie's plot serves as a messiah in disguise.Sanjuro walks into a town where he sees everything is deserted, and in the course of the movie comes into the only bar in the town. There the bartender tells him of the ill fate that has befallen this town, as two gambling clans have risen and started to fight for power, and the course of this, the town has taken in their sides to make their share of profits. He also wittingly comments that the only people making most out of this is the coffin maker, who is working night and day to fill his coffins. He also says that the sheriff is scared and is just a clown in the act. As all good people the bar tender advices the Samurai to leave town, but as heroes are he decides to stay and set things right, and from here the action takes over. Though the plot may seem shallow, but in the hands of a master with special humerous touches, and brilliant acting and especially brilliantly shot sequences, with some brilliant music, the movie is truly a masterpiece. "Yojimbo", has that subtle special touch which only a master can deliver, which lacks deeply in the "The Last Man Standing" which focuses more on the action than the cause. Bruce Willis though a fine actor at times, cannot match upto the great Toshiro Mifune in one of his career best performances. The movie is fast paced and action packed, with a superb screenplay, and masterfully dramatised. Truly one of the greats out there. Fans of "The Last Man Standing", should see this for sure, to see the real masterpiece that went into working of the hollywood subordinate. For the people who are looking for information about the quality of the DVD, the movie has been brillianltly restrored by Criterion, and the DVD quality is Very Good. No problems here.
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Summary: A Definitive Moment In Kurosawa's Career
Review: Seven Samurai is Akira Kurosawa's greatest film, without a doubt, but this film (and its sequel, Sanjuro) run it a very close second. With its American Western-inspired themes and tongue-in-cheek sense of dark humor (such as the dog running by with the human hand in its mouth, or the big Ted Cassidy-lookalike with the giant hammer who keeps popping up), Yojimbo is a genuinely great movie-watching experience. Kurosawa takes a simple concept -- rival clans of gamblers at war -- and runs with it, turning the story of his nameless samurai into an exquisite blending of action and image. There are moments in this film which fairly burn themselves into your memory, so stark and astonishing are they...Mifune, sitting on a watchtower, looking on with delight as the two clans, thanks to his machinations, prepare somewhat dubiously to slaughter one another...the all-too-brief reunion between a mother and her child and husband, through the bars of the restaurant wall, as Mifune looks on in mingled horror and disgust...Mifune, recovering from injuries inflicted on him by the gamblers in a lonely shack, tossing a knife over and over again at a windblown leaf -- and scoring a direct hit each time. These are just a few of the memorable scenes in Kurosawa's remarkable film. I spoke of humor before -- as you can see from the above descriptions, there is also pathos here, and beauty, and terror, and a human compassion, and half a dozen other things, which are all the things that make people people -- which fact Kurosawa, more than any other director, recognizes and executes fully. This is true of all his films, but never moreso than for this one. Life is both funny and tragic, sometimes both at the same time, and the best dramatists and filmmakers can use this to tremendous effect. Kurosawa especially is not wanton with his audience in this regard, as other directors have been -- his use of this technique is so subtle, in fact, that you may not even notice it. Of course, this is also due to the fact that so much of your attention is drawn to Toshiro Mifune, no doubt the greatest Japanese actor who ever lived, as the nameless (though not heartless) samurai around whom the story revolves. Unlike his brilliant, wildman, force-of-nature performance as Kikuchiyo in Seven Samurai, Mifune here is reserved, quiet, studious, even stoic to a certain degree. He speaks little and moves very economically -- his most noticeable gestures being the scratching of his chin as he thinks, and the hitching back of his shoulders as he walks -- yet the eye is drawn to him, almost helplessly, in every scene he's in. Part of this is due to Mifune's considerable charisma and onscreen magnetism. But a lot of it is also because of his sensitive, layered portrayal of his character -- it's not for nothing he won the Best Actor award at the Venice Film Festival for this role, you know. Think about it; when you watch Yojimbo, keep your eye on Mifune. Not much going on there at first glance, right? But look again -- watch his eyes, that steely gaze, the flinty and cooly calculating look which suggests that there is far more to this man than a first glance would reveal. Sure enough, as the movie goes on, this idea is proven correct. We are shown a man of astonishing depth, incredible strength, and considerable heart. When he speaks, he speaks volumes with just a few words. When he acts, when he draws his sword, it's as if a whirlwind has just been unleashed, Mifune at its center, and all others destroyed in its path...save for one young man, whom we meet both near the film's beginning and its end, and who provides the film with one of its best moments of catharsis. All in all, Yojimbo is one of the greatest films ever made, by a man whose list of great films dwarfs all others. Kurosawa is not just influential, he is essential. FINAL NOTE: Of course, this film is famous for being the inspiration for A Fistfull of Dollars (made without Kurosawa's permission, and he won a large judgment against the producers for it, too!), which defined the so-called "Spaghetti Western" genre (which is overrated in the extreme), and launched Clint Eastwood's film career (a man who is definitely not overrated). I can't help but wonder how different Clint's career would have been if this film had never been made. Ah, well -- just something to think about. Have fun -- Phrodoe.
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Summary: Mifune and Kurosawa at their best
Review: This is a wonderful crafted movie, which shows Mifune and Kurosawa at their best. This is one of the many films of Kurosawa, that inspired the westerngenre. Last man standing was the last obvious remake of Yojimbo, made in 1996 and starring Bruce Willis. If you thought The seven Samurai was a good movie, but a little too long, check out Yojimbo - you won't be disappointed. I can't wait for "The hidden fortress" being released, which was the main inspiration for Star Wars and once again a superb teaming of Mifune, Kurosawa and the Samuraigenre.
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Summary: 'Yojimbo' 'The Bodyguard'
Review: Yojimbo, meaning 'bodyguard' in japanese, is the tale of a wandering Ronin (played by the back-stretching Toshiro Mifune), who comes across a small town with a big problem. Two warring families have divided the settlement right down the middle and anyone who is not in with one of the gangs, is in for some trouble. That is until Sanjuro (Mifune), turns up with a few ideas of his own. The first minute of the film I like especially. It shows Sanjuro tossing a stick in the air, & waiting for it to land on the dusty ground in front of him to decide which way he should keep on walking; very good. It shows us just how masterless this man is, not even master of himself, he leaves his decisions to fate and destiny. Sanjuro shows up in town and quickly demonstrates his sword-wielding prowess in a street brawl (of sorts), which prompts the two rival families to bid for his services. But Sanjuro is crafty, and, knowing he can survive on his razor-sharp cunning, not to mention his razor-sharp sword, he plays both gangs against each other. This is where things start to get entertaining... You will love Mifune's beard scratching, shoulder-blade rolling antics, and no doubt this film will spark an interest in Kurosawa's work. He also made 'The Seven Samurai' and 'Sanjuro', amongst others. This film was later remade as the Western 'A Fistful of Dollars', with Clint (and even later as 'Last Man Standing'), and 'The 7 Samurai' as 'The Magnificent Seven'. And that is essentially what 'Yojimbo' is, an Eastern-Western, totally original in its plot, using swords instead of guns, and Japanese Samurai culture instead of the American West. Highly entertaining, interesting and humorous, well worth a look for anybody, especially fans of Kurosawa's work.
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Summary: A feast for the eyes and funny bone
Review: Yojimbo, as if he hasn't already done so, secures Toshiro Mifune's place in the Valhalla of celluloid tough guys with Robert Mitchum, Clint Eastwood, Humphrey Bogart, et. al. While I don't consider it to be Kurosawa's best work, this masterpiece is certainly his most humourous. The always interesting camera work and a plot with just enough intricacies and intrigue keeps the brain running without hindering the movie's primary purpose - to entertain.
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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!
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Summary: Classic (though flawed) film, questionable DVD
Review: Being one of Kurosawa's best known works, Yojimbo is indeed a classic and a beautiful study in film craftsmanship. The visual compositions, performances, and fight sequences that Kurosawa delivers here are, as usual, brilliant (and highly influential). It must be said, however, that the film's plot is pretty confusing at times, especially in the second half with all the various characters and shadowy intrigues that enter the mix. I personally have some difficulty keeping track of which characters are aligned with which of the two warring factions, and that becomes doubly difficult when the rival groups start exchanging prisoners and whatnot. Of course it doesn't really matter in terms of the film's tone and meaning (the two groups are equally evil and equally deserving of what Sanjuro does to them), but I still like to be able to grasp what's going on when I watch a samurai-western-action movie like this. Nevertheless, it is a good film and certainly essential viewing for any fan of Kurosawa or samurai films. Criterion's DVD edition, though, leaves a bit more to be desired. The only extra is the film's trailer, which is in widescreen but is strangely and inexplicably shifted towards the bottom of the screen; and those of you with good home theater systems will see a lot of pixellization and other problems in the visual presentation of the film itself. But worst of all is the obvious fact that part of the image is missing at the left and right edges of the screen-- anybody watching the opening credits sequence can clearly see that the words are spilling out of the picture (causing the credits to read "Starrin Toshiro Mifun" with the last letters of words missing). Criterion should have done something about this, especially with a film like this one where you know Kurosawa struggled to get every aspect of visual detail just right. Still, the film makes up for these problems, and since this is the only American DVD of this movie, we don't have too many alternatives...
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Summary: Have you seen last man standing?
Review: Well, Last Man Standing was an exact remake of this film, word for word. What Last Man Standing could not capture was the humour of Yojimbo. I saw this film by accident several years ago, although I couldn't remember the name, the film stayed in my mind as "The movie where the Samuria fights on both side and cuts peoples arms off" because thats basicly what the movie is. Its extremely graphic for such an old film. Yojimbo is what is called a Ronin, a wandering Samurai who sells his services to the highest bidder. In this case he found a gold mine, two enemies looking to take each other out, but they both lack the skill. In the film, the enemies, who occupie two different sides of the town have a bidding war in order to obtain the services of Yojimbo. All the while Yojimbo is cutting them down, one by...three by three with his quick as lightning sword until there is on man left. Or is it? Buy it already!
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Summary: Kurosawa Comic/Action Classic
Review: As much as Kurosawa may have been influenced by American Westerns (John Ford's, in particular) doesn't mean he was trying to make a "samurai western." The similarities between coyboys and samurai are superficial at best. Kurosawa knew this (being descended from samurai), and he gives the villain, played by Tatsuya Nakadai, a six-shooter - only to be defeated with a well-aimed knife! He created something revolutionary to Japanese film, turning the once fastidious samurai into an unshaven, perpetually itching ragamuffin. Sergio Leone, the displaced Italian who was probably a horse in a former life, remade Yojimbo with Spanish locations doubling for Mexican ones, and Clint Eastwood as the "man with no name." A Fistful of Dollars launched one of the poorest excuses for a film career - Leone's, that is - leading to more extensive plagiarism and a completely hybrid vision of America. Kurosawa can't be blamed for such spurious effects. Yojimbo remains a thoroughly Japanese classic.
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Summary: Trans-Cultural Influence At Its best
Review: Kurosawa admitted in interviews that this film was, essentially, an uncredited adaptation of elements from Dashiell Hammett's "Red Harvest" and "The Glass Key"; in addition, as so many samurai films are, it shares many tropes with the American Western, which made Sergio Leone's swipe of the swipe, turning "Yojimbo" into "Fistful of Dollars" all the more logical. Bits from this film -- the confrontation and sword fight with the boastful thugs and one of them losing an arm -- and even more from another Kurosawa film, "The Hidden Fortress" -- made up much of the inspiration for the first "Star Wars" film, as well. Mifune's wandering ronin is deliberately made almost the antithesis of the samurai ideal -- scruffy, surly, lazy and so lost to proper manners that he scratches himself in public -- to point up that it is difficult to judge good or ill from surface appearance (a point made even more strongly in the sequel, "Sanjuro"). Arriving in a town that is being destroyed by the running battles between two gangs of small-time gamblers and gangsters, the ronin plays both gangs against each other, hoping to lead them to destroy each other. It almost works. And it almost gets him killed, too. Kurosawa was a master of the meaningful silence, the understated gesture -- and the sudden shocking violence that releases tension gradually built up so quietly we almost haven't noticed it. Like most of his films, at the heart of this one is a meditation on honor and strength and on what a man owes to himself and to those around him, and on whether having the ability to clean up a bad situation compels one to do it. Is it true, as Spider-Man says, that "With Great Power comes Great Responsibility", or is it unreasonable to ask someone to risk his neck for a bunch of people he doesn't know, just because he's The Only Man Who...? One of these days, i'm going to re-read the Hammett, then i'm going to rent "Yojimbo" and "Fistful of Dollars" and "Last Man Standing" and i am going to watch them all -- in order -- and then i'm going to reread David Drake's recent SF novel reworking the same themes, "The Sharp End"... just as a sort of crash course in how five masters of narrative tell the same story and make it theirs.
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