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The plot is as follows: Toshiro Mifune is a ronin, a samurai who was left masterless by the Meiji Revolution. By chance, he arrives in a small town which is run by two corrupt gangsters: Seibei and Ushitora. Both groups are completely evil; in fact, they are more caricatures than real characters in that none of them has a single redeeming trait. Mifune decides that he will play the two groups against each other in the hopes that the resulting struggle will destroy them all, leaving the town in peace. Early in the film, Mifune is asked his name by one of the gangsters. Looking out the window, he sees a mulberry field, and thus replies "Kuwabatake Sanjuro." "Kuwabatake" is the word for mulberry field, and Sanjuro translates to "thirty years-old," though he quips "going on forty." It is small moments like this that make the movie so enjoyable. In the sequel/prequel Sanjuro, he takes the name Tsubaki from his surroundings, and then makes the same joke. I point this out only because the familiarity makes the character seem so much more real even though it is a small detail. I don't want to give away all of the plot, so I will merely say that soon the gangsters are at each other's throats, each thinking Sanjuro is on their side. There is a wonderfully comic moment early on when Sanjuro draws the two groups into a fight, then abandons his employer to watch from a nearby guard tower. The gangsters are so terrified that no one is able to attack. In the end, everyone gets what's coming to them, mostly in dark, ironic ways. In terms of cinematography, Yojimbo is a masterpiece. Kurosawa uses a combination of wide and tight shots to convey action. Another of his favorite techniques involves having action taking place in both the foreground and the background. This really makes the viewer feel like they are immersed in what's going on, heightening the sense of realism. My personal favorite shot that Kurosawa uses in several of his films is a slow pan that takes place during conversations. The camera starts on one of the speakers, moves around the room slowly and ends on the other person. The fight scenes are lightning fast, with Toshiro Mifune doing all his own sword-fighting. It is things like this that make Akira Kurosawa one of the true masters of realism. All of the above would make Yojimbo a good movie, but it is Toshiro Mifune's performance as Sanjuro that elevates it to the status of a "great" movie. His Sanjuro is wonderfully brusque and ill-mannered. He slouches, scratches at himself, and chews on a piece of straw. Everything, right down to that small twitch of his shoulders, gives off the air of man who is dangerous and knows it. Yet, underneath all of this is a man who risks his life to help complete strangers, and in the end receives not a single ryo for all his hard work. In a way, Sanjuro is the consummate anti-hero. He hates "wretched people" yet goes out of his way to protect them. He is violent and has a dark sense of humor, yet you have to love him. When I finally saw Sanjuro and he walked on-screen, I had the feeling of meeting an old friend. He is a character that will remain embedded in your mind for a long time after seeing either of the films. There is so much more that could be said about this film, but instead I will merely urge you to go out and rent it. If you are a fan of either foreign film or "spagetti westerns", you owe it to yourself to see this movie. It would inspire a remake starring Clint Eastwood entitled "A Fistful of Dollars" as well as dozens of others. Simply put, Yojimbo is a darkly comic, exciting film that every movie buff should see. |