I’ve had a history of adoring Japanese films, but my experiences with Akira Kurosawa have been mixed. My first film from him was, of course, Seven Samurai, and I was honestly not impressed. I decided to give him another shot and watch Throne of Blood. This soon became one of my favorite films. By then, I felt I had gotten the feel for Akira Kurosawa’s style; but Yojimbo turned out to be something I didn’t at all expect. From the first tracking shot to the last punchy lines of dialogue, it was apparent that Akira Kurosawa was trying something new; for this film’s build was almost identical to that of a western. The dialogue, build, and style of this film all had very apperent influences from westerns, making this one of the most distinguished samurai films.
Yojimbo (which translates to Bodygard) follows the lone, and immensely talented, samurai Sanjuro as he stumbles across a town driven in fear by two gangs. He takes this as a money making opportunity and cleverly (as well as comically) lets the two gangs tear themselves apart due to the want of Sanjuro as a bodyguard.
Sanjuro proved to be a well developed character. He appears tough and witty, but from the first shot of the film it seems as if he’s lost in his purpose and a bit soft. This is later confirmed in the film through his actions (I won’t spoil anything).
I think that the great thing about this film is how brilliant Kurosawa’s direction was: the plot was really simple, but within this simple framework there were many details. And still, we could never predict how things would all unfold: he let mist rise at the perfect times, leaving us focused on the next event’s outcome. Kurosawa also used a great amount of humor in this film, something scarce in the rest of his works… but I wasn’t quite sure how I felt about this choice. I was often not sure whether I should be light or tense: comical sequences were found in the midst of brutal ones. Reflecting on the film, it’s only apparent that this was a very early example of an action film, and an excellent one at that. Here are some clips from Yojimbo and Sanjuro that prove my point.
I have yet to watch this film’s sequel, Sanjuro, but this is definitely one of Akira Kurosawa’s greatest works.
8millazilla 