Review of Yojimbo (1961) by Brandon V — 13 Dec 2009

If I had one film to show to someone who did not know who Akira Kurosawa was, I would choose "Yojimbo". It is not his most famous work, but I feel that it is certainly among his best.

Western audiences will immediately realize that "Yojimbo" is the movie that was remade as "A Fistful of Dollars". Therefore, this review will draw heavily upon that fact, and there will be a lot of comparison and contrast against not only this film, but also Kurosawa's earlier work "Seven Samurai".

To begin, to compare to "Seven Samurai", "Yojimbo" boasts the benefit of seven years worth of technological advances. The film stock used has a much higher contrast ratio, helped by improved lighting techniques. This results in one of the most beautiful black and white movies ever shot. I feel no hesitation in comparing this black and white film to newer movies such as "American History X" in terms of picture quality. In addition, there is much more music present here, perfectly fitting the mood and period portrayed. While perhaps not as groundbreaking as "Seven Samurai"'s, the camerawork is tight, even daring at certain points. The film, on the whole, is far more friendly to the modern audience, particularly in terms of pacing.

Let's talk performances...Toshiro Mifune's 'Samurai With No Name' is excellent. Clint Eastwood's 'Man With No Name', while more severe and wholeheartedly badass, does not touch the complexity that Mifune's character does. Mifune plays the role with a touch of mischief and playfulness that adds dimension to the character. I love "A Fistful of Dollars", however, in this aspect, and many others, the original exceeds the remake.

And indeed, throughout the entire movie, that's what I find myself thinking. The crisp black and white film is more visually intense than the slightly blurry color Western. The characters and motives in "Yojimbo" are more fleshed out. Many Western archetypes were INVENTED in this film: the wandering stranger and the windy, dust-blown showdown at high-noon are just two examples. Indeed, as I will soon discuss the pseudo-sequel "Sanjuro", the fact that both Sergio Leone and Akira Kurosawa reuse actors (respectively, Lee Van Cleef and Tatsuya Nakadai) in similar roles in a not-quite sequel featuring the same main character is a testament to the strength of "Yojimbo".

In addition, there is a certain gore factor to "Yojimbo" that is noteworthy. In the first five minutes, we see a dog trotting by carrying a severed hand. In the first battle scene, the Samurai With No Name relieves some subordinates of their limbs, which is actually portrayed. For a film made in 1961, this is extreme.

I could go on and on extolling the virtues of this movie, but at this point, you're probably better off just watching the damn thing. Do it. You won't be disappointed.