用心棒

In perhaps his most memorable role, Toshiro Mifune takes up the sword as Sanjuro Kuwabatake, a wandering samurai looking for a little action in Japan's post-feudal era. When he enters a small town occupied by two rival gangs, Sanjuro realizes that he can play both sides against each other and make some money in the process. After some initial success hiring himself out as a bodyguard to both clans, Sanjuro's duplicitous plot is exposed, and the poor ronin gets beaten to a pulp for his trouble. Of course, our hero escapes death, tends to his wounds, and heads back into town to wreak bloody vengeance, but that's a given, right?

As the star of this samurai-gangster western (if such a genre exists), Toshiro Mifune is terrific in his portrayal of the crotchety, toothpick-chewing samurai whose gruff mercenary exterior hides a romantic, honor-bound soul. Sure, Yojimbo's story may seem clichéd now, but that's only because its plotline and bleak worldview have been referenced (or ripped off) in numerous films since its 1961 release (i.e., spaghetti westerns). And perhaps the influential status of Yojimbo is part of what makes it such a difficult film to review. I mean, what more can be said about a recognized cinema classic that hasn't already been said by various film critics worldwide? All I can really say is that with its winning combination of great action, good performances, and swell Masaru Sato soundtrack, Yojimbo is definitely worth a look. And hey, that Akira Kurosawa guy's pretty talented, too. (Calvin McMillin, 2003)