Total classic! It's like a dark action comedy about the end of the samurai era
In 1950 Akira Kurosawa became an international star with Rashomon. 1954 he released Seven Samurai. In 1957 Kurosawa’s adaptation of Macbeth Throne of Blood was released. Then in 1961 Yojimbo came out, which is considered one of the greatest rogue hero movies ever made.<br /><br />It stars Toshiro Mifune as a nameless ronin, masterless samurai. Dozens of movies had featured such a character before, but this was a complete change. Mifune's ronin was disheveled, was unshaven, he appeared to only care about his own personal gain rather than the samurai code, and yet he actually had a heart. This completely remade this character type in Japanese cinema.<br /><br />The story takes place at the end of the Tokugawa era and portrays it as a desperate and lawless period. For instance, Mifune comes across a farmer whose son runs off to be a gambler because he feels like he’s starving at home. His mother says that kids have gone mad. Later Mifune sees a dog carrying a man’s hand in its mouth.<br /><br />The heart of the story takes place in a town in the midst of a battle between two corrupt businessmen Ushitora an inn keeper and Seibei a brothel owner. Each has hired a gang of ruffians who hold constant street battles for control. Mifune decides to play the two sides against each other for what appears to be his own profit. That’s where the title of the film comes from, Yojimbo, meaning bodyguard as he rents himself off to the two warring parties. To prove his bona fides he cuts down some of the ruffians. It turns out Mifune has a conscious however, and his going back and forth between Ushitora and Seibei as a strategy to improve the town.<br /><br />There have been plenty of other movies about ronin but Yojimbo came to define the character type. Mifune was a master swordsman, was a strategic thinker despite his rough exterior, and ultimately had a heart despite his image of selling himself to the highest bidder. Many enjoyed the narrative of Rashomon with multiple perspectives. Seven Samurai became a classic of the samurai genre, and created the storyline of a team coming together for a cause. Throne of Blood was a haunting drama. Yojimbo however is more like a dark comedy of the era. Mifune for example, before he kills his first three criminals tells them what he’s about to do to them will hurt. Then tells the coffin maker to build two caskets, then looks back and says maybe three. When Ushitora and Seibei’s men are about to fight they are more afraid than anything else and constantly fall back at any aggressive move by the other side, and barely get to within striking distance of each other.<br /><br />The movie was hugely popular and led to a number of western remakes, most famously Sergio Leone’s A Fistful of Dollars. That’s for good reason because the movie is a classic and highly enjoyable to watch.<br />C
The movie title "Yojimbo," available on Movies & TV, has received an average rating of 4.8 from 1638 reviewers. 
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This title falls under the categories of Movies & TV, Criterion Collection and All. 
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 {"Aspect Ratio": "2.35:1", "Is Discontinued By Manufacturer": "No", "MPAA rating": "Unrated (Not Rated)", "Product Dimensions": "7.5 x 5.38 x 0.6 inches; 4 Ounces", "Director": "Akira Kurosawa", "Media Format": "Black & White, Dolby, DVD, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC, Letterboxed", "Run time": "1 hour and 15 minutes", "Release date": "September 28, 1999", "Actors": "Toshir Mifune, Eijir Tno, Tatsuya Nakadai, Yko Tsukasa, Isuzu Yamada", "Dubbed": "Japanese, English", "Subtitles": "English", "Language": "Japanese (Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono)", "Studio": "Criterion", "Writers": "Akira Kurosawa, Ryz Kikushima", "Number of discs": "1"}

Here is a brief synopsis of the title : This semi-comic 1961 film by legendary director Akira Kurosawa (Rashomon, Ran) was inspired by the American Western genre. Kurosawa mainstay Toshirô Mifune (The Seven Samurai) plays a drifting samurai for hire who plays both ends agai.