Review of Yojimbo (1961) by John M — 20 Apr 2012

Although this is totally worthwhile, I still prefer this story with a Western backdrop. When a wandering samurai (Toshiro Mifune) comes to a town by chance (quite literally, as he throws a stick up into the air and follows the direction it is pointing), he sees the opportunity to make some money by playing the two feuding factions of the town against one another.

I love the entire Man with No Name trilogy, so I was curious to see what A Fistful of Dollars was originally based on. While samurai movies and Westerns do share a lot of the same tropes, this story is very similar and very different at the same time.

There are identical moments throughout, with the same actions and the same beats, but Fistful of Dollars has more flair, more polish and better pacing. I just really prefer guns over blades for this story being told; there's not a whole lot of actual fighting in this story, and I felt a lot more tension when everybody is holstering a firearm that they could discharge at any moment.

Still, the same great story is in tact, the standout cinematography is gorgeous, and Mifune is a bona fide badass.