Criterion Collection: Yojimbo [Blu-ray] [1961] [US Import]

Inspiration for "fistful of dollars" excellent movie.

This is a renowned classic and the video quality is good.

To say that this is a classic is an understatement. It certainly is one that every student in the film industry should scrutinise, from the storyline to the cinematography. So fortunate to have a copy!

Directed by Akira Kurosawa and starring Toshiro Mifune this is a classic Japanese Samurai film. If you don’t like Japanese films, you won’t like this. If on the other hand you’ve seen and enjoyed “Seven Samurai” you’ll enjoy this. You’ll particularly enjoy the references to films which have borrowed from “Yojimbo” primarily “A Fistful of Dollars”; come to think of it, you might benefit from watching the Clint Eastwood film before watching this. Another film which seems to have borrowed from this is “Last Man Standing” with Bruce Willis. If you know those two films then you get the idea of the plot of “Yojimbo”. A lone “gunman”, in this case a ronin, comes into town and decides to take on the two warring factions.This is not a wall-to-wall action film; there is a lot of scene setting and plotting. Some of the scenes are classic Western; the lone hero at one end of the street facing a dozen villains at the other.Sometimes the subtitles leave a lot to be desired; not because of the translations but because they are not always easy to read against the background. The score is interesting and often very subtle.It’s a classic and well worth watching.

One of the greats!

Liked the story Entertainment

Another classic Kurosawa film. It is interesting to see a glimpse of feudal Japan and I am sure a Japanese audience will appreciate the raison d’etre and the humor of the film. However it is still thought provoking to us westerners and very enjoyable. Another winner from Kurosawa!

Brilliant film.