Movie Minx

Starring: Toshiro Mifune
Directed by: Akira Kurosawa (Seven Samurai)

Plot: A drifting Samurai warrior arrives in a new town in 1860 and pits the two criminal gangs against each other, moving from one side to the other depending on who’s offering the best sake.

But is it any good?

Put it this way: Yojimbo was later remade as both A Fistful of Dollars and Last Man Standing. George Lucas has also credited director Kurosawa’s films with being part of the inspiration for Star Wars, and Kurosawa directed the lengthy Seven Samurai, which is steady at about #10 on IMDb’s top 100. Yojimbo is a wacky take on the traditional American western, with a (then) original take on morality too - think Tarantino as he might have been 40 years ago.

Having said all that, I generally don’t like westerns and so this film was not for me. I don’t mind subtitles, or that it was in black and white, but my mind wandered the entire time. Apart from the odd moment of humor (the unnamed samurai is startled to see an innocent-looking dog carrying a human hand as he walks into town) or action, I just felt the whole thing dragged.

Mifune, who also stars in Seven Samurai, is a gruff Japanese version of Harrison Ford and his nonchalant style, along with a sense of humor and quick thinking, means you’re on his side even when he’s being a bit of a bastard. A great anti-hero, then.

The genre mish-mash works well (western, comedy, martial arts, action etc) and it’s clear how this movie inspired Clint Eastwood’s spaghetti westerns. It wasn’t a bad movie at all; it just wasn’t for me. It’s one of those times when I feel I “should” have liked something, but all I can do is see why others might.

My rating: 6/10

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