I will not be the last one to say…
Yojimbo is a great GREAT film.
but not better than Seven Samurai.
or Throne of Blood or Rashomon or Ran or Ikiru.
Right on, it drives me crazy when I hear the argument that Fistful of Dollars is a better film. It simply lacks the hilarious comedy and the action scenes as well as the outlaws are not fleshed out as they are in Yojimbo. Clint Eastwood is a cool bad-ass, but he can’t compete with Toshiro Mifune.
No kids, I am in no way shape or form talking about “A Fistful of Dollars.” We are on the Yojimbo message board, and we are talking about Yojimbo the black and white film with Toshiro’s sanjin character in it. It is stylish, it is years ahead of its time, and was/is a trendsetter. Seven Samurai whist epic in every form lacks the sharpened quality that is this masterpiece. Also, it is kick-ass in the purest form.
As you seem a little bewildered, A Fistful of Dollars is an adaptation of Yojimbo, hence the comparison.
Yojimbo is a great film, and the pack containing it and Sanjuro is one of my favorite Criterion purchases, but I don’t think it’s as good as some of Kurosawa’s other films. Arguing Yojimbo as better than Seven Samurai is actually kind of revelatory in regards to your taste, as it’s a much more action-oriented film. Great though.
This is a great movie, with arguably the first real badass in motion picture history. Paved the way for all lone wolf anti-heroes that came after. I also thought this film was the quintessential example of how a movie is done in the first person perspective. Example: the scene where Sanjuro is in the bucket being smuggled by the old men, they stop to comment of the action happening off camera, and it is only when they move the bucket so that Sanjuro can see that the audience is also able to see the action. Great film.
yes, Yojimbo is the best.
Clint Eastwood > Toshiro Mifune
Sorry, I just had to throw that in there. :)
Hmmm. Sure, it’s a great film and all, but better than “Seven Samurai,” “Ikiru,” and “Ran?” Nah. These films were much more ambitious and epic in depth and scope.
Toshiro Mifune is possibly the most charismatic actor ever. I recently watched A Fistfull of Dollars, and it was nowhere near on par with Yojimbo. The story was somewhat lost in the western setting.
It’s my favourite Kurosawa, that’s for damn sure.
It’s my favourite Kurosawa, that’s for damn sure.
oh my gosh. This film is so cool. It is one of the most entertaining films ever produced. It twists genres together in startling ways. LOVE
By the way, is Sanjuro worth checking out?
Rocky and Bullwinkle, Sanjuro is definitely worth checking out. I haven’t seen it in a while, but I remember it was very enjoyable. I think, along with Hidden Fortress, it was some of the inspiration for the first Star Wars film. I think Ran, Throne of Blood, Rashomon, Ikiru, Seven Samurai are some of my favorite Kurosawa films, but I like this one a lot too. He also did one loosely based on Hamlet that wasn’t too bad called The Bad Sleep Well.
R and B – Yes. I actually sort of liked Sanjuro better than Yojimbo. It’s been a while since I’ve seen either, so I’m not sure how committed to that assessment I can be. Still, Sanjuro is well worth checking out.
Okay!! I’m gonna check it out. Thanks guys.
Both films share a common underlying thread, that of a ronin helping villagers fight evil, similar characters setups and undertones still each of them are really fun films.
These are exactly the kind of films I would recommend folks showing nascent interest in world cinema.
However there is no comparison between these films and Seven Samurai, a timeless classic!
I love Yojimbo but I will fight to the bitter end that Sanjuro is the better movie of the two. They are both utterly fantastic though.
I argue for this as one of the top ten movies of all-time. I consider it a western and if it is a western, it’s the best western ever made. It’s also the earliest example I’ve come across of a fully-fledged modern day anti-hero. Directly or indirectly, this surely had an impact on the action films we watch today. I rate it with Ikiru as Kurosawa’s best and I regard it as one of the most entertaining and rewatchable of all classic movies. Sanjuro is great as well but it can’t touch the original. Few films can.
I’m one of those weirdos who likes Sanjuro better than Yojimbo – glad to hear there are others out there. Yojimbo is weightier, feels more consequential, and comments on the post-samurai era and the death of honour and loyalty. Great stuff, but I prefer the way Sanjuro wears its philosophy lightly, making its (perhaps slighter) points almost in passing, cloaked in humour and mannerism, growing organically out of the characters (love the scene where the governor’s wife refuses to escape from her captors – and of course the “centipede” scene). The Pacific Cinematheque is celebrating the centenary of Kurosawa’s birth so I’m excited to see the films back-to-back for the first time … along with an embarrassingly large number of other greats I’ve never seen.
I always thought that I liked Sanjuro better than Yojimbo. Yojimbo is the greater film, but I always enjoyed Sanjuro more. However, I watched Yojimbo again about a few days ago and my mind has changed. Their both fantastic but now I like Yojimbo more. I think my mind will change every time I watch one or the other.
Ao Meng
The director’s best work~, this utterly hilarious comedy is more influential than the last two decades combined.
~Seven Samurai was too long winded.