Review of Yojimbo (1961) by Thomas M — 22 May 2009

This is the prototype for the Spaghetti Westerns (Clint Eastwood, specifically "For a Fistful of Dollars"). If you like the Spaghetti Westerns but you've never seen this, do yourself a favor and check it out. If you don't care for Westerns, see this and then watch the Eastwood flicks. You will gain a new appreciation.

Toshiro Mifune is great as always. A loner drifter Samurai hires himself to rival gangs as a bodyguard, playing one side against the other. There's a brilliant showdown at the end, as the town descends into chaos and destruction, between the guy with the gun and Mifune's character. Excellent stuff. Best Katana versus pistol scene until Watanabe made Samurai Champloo.