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Toshiro Mifune, Eijirô Tono, Tatsuya Nakadai, Seizaburô Kawazu, Isuzu Yamada ... see more see more... , Daisuke Katô , Hiroshi Tachikawa , Kamatari Fujiwara , Kyu Sazanka , Susumu Fujita , Yosuke Natsuki , Akira Nishimura , Ikio Sawamura , Takashi Shimura , Yoshio Tsuchiya , Atsushi Watanabe , Yôko Tsukasa

Toshiro Mifune portrays a Samurai who finds himself in the middle of a feud-torn Japanese village. Neither side is particularly honorable, but Mifune is hungry and impoverished, so he agrees to work a... read more read more...s bodyguard (or Yojimbo) for a silk merchant (Kamatari Fujiwara) against a sake merchant (Takashi Shimura). He then pretends to go to work for the other, the better to let the enemies tear each other apart. Imprisoned for his "treachery," he escapes just in time to watch the two warring sides wipe each other out. This was his plan all along, and now that peace has been restored, he leaves the village for further exploits. Yes, Yojimbo was the prototype for the Clint Eastwood "Man with No Name" picture A Fistful of Dollars (1964). The difference is that Fistful relies on Eastwood for its success, whereas Yojimbo scores on every creative level, from director Akira Kurosawa to cinematographer Kazuo Miyagawa to Mifune's classic lead performance. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

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96% liked it

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97% liked it

36 critics

Unrated, 1 hr. 50 min.

Directed by: Akira Kurosawa

Release Date: September 13, 1961

Keywords: action, samurai

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DVD Release Date: September 28, 1999

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Flixster Reviews (2,474)

  • axadntpron
    July 14, 2011
    axadntpron
    A superbly shot black comedy that truly showcases the strengths of Kurosawa and his lead Mifune. It is also a scathing indictment on capitalism that Leone's remake "A Fistful of Dollars" doesn't touch on as well. In this town, lawlessness seems to be the only law of the land as r... read moreival factions seek to control the local market and human relations have evolved into a series of business exchanges.
    Also, in this world, Mifune's character Sanjuro is a ronin who lacks a real reason for taking part in battle. Rather, Sanjuro at first seems to exploit each faction for his own gain and pits them against each other out of boredom. Later, it seems that Sanjuro becomes a sort of surrogate for Kurosawa who has created world in he has wiped out the greedy merchants and reversed the course of history.
    It is an interesting outlook on the world of the early 1960's which is made all the more powerful by Kurosawa's brilliant camera work. There are some exquisite shots that really make use of the wide screen format. He also employs some very tight close ups that must have been very influential on Leone.
    All in all, another example of why Kurosawa was indeed way ahead of his time.
  • blkbomb
    June 8, 2011
    blkbomb
    "Kill one or a hundred. You only hang once." Yojimbo is a really cool movie directed by Akira Kurosawa. It went on to inspire Leones A Fistful of Dollars and Last Man Standing with Bruce Willis. The story from Yojimbo will probably be used again. It's a simple, but very cool stor... read morey that can be told in many different settings. The story is about a lone samurai who comes into a village that is in a battle. He decides to stay despite warnings from a restaurant owner. Yojimbo is a very good movie and I can understand people's love for the movie. The film is a complete classic. Toshiro Mifune is a great actor and does an incredible job as Sanjuro.
  • SirPant
    March 28, 2011
    SirPant
    Even if you haven't seen it, you know the story by now. Kurosawa's influence and love of Westerns is obvious but this love letter to the cowboy film is something else. Funny how in turn it was ripped off and made into a Western but that's what is so great about cinema. Toshiro Mi... read morefune is brilliant as Sunjuro, just watch this film to see why he and Kurosawa are regarded as two of the best in the history of cinema. The word masterpiece is overused but here it is only for lack of a better word.
  • animegirlaya
    January 24, 2011
    animegirlaya
    Great and Worst Project's (Westerns)


    Directed by Akira Kurosawa Toshirō Mifune, Tatsuya Nakadai, Yôko Tsukasa and Isuzu Yamada.


    To me Yojimbo is the greatest western ever made and hands down it is better than The good the bad and the ugly. I think of Akira Kurosawa... read more as the greatest filmmaker in cinema history and easy that hands down, I don't think I have seen a better director with such style and influence over the films he makes and the films of course to come such as A fistful of the dollars. But that movie really just copied the story of this but more of an Italian style to it. In my opinion this is better than Seven Samurai but Ran is still my all-time favourite by Akira nothing but Style.

    Sanjuro, a wandering samurai enters a rural town in nineteenth century Japan. After learning from the innkeeper that the town is divided between two gangsters, he plays one side off against the other. His efforts are complicated by the arrival of the wily Unosuke, the son of one of the gangsters, who owns a revolver. Unosuke has Sanjuro beaten after he reunites an abducted woman with her husband and son, then massacres his father's opponents. During the slaughter, the samurai escapes with the help of the innkeeper; but while recuperating at a nearby temple, he learns of innkeeper's abduction by Unosuke, and returns to the town to confront him.

    I think the story well...is very influential even though it was based on American westerns but the type of westerns we had were called Jidaigeki cinema. Seven Samurai kick stated it with the whole American thing or idea. The story really captures the whole western feel to it as well. And of course it's the whole Man with no name thing which would inspire the dollars trilogy and even the films.

    Again we have western type towns in the countryside that look amazing and again we copied the American thing you can see the building and people designs were done because of it. Although 1 gun and the rest are just swords. I really liked the whole concept of it really.

    We really see some amazing direction by Akira with a whole range of Close-ups and pull backs so we can see this creative design of his. And we see the man with no name pull into town and we see everything around him. So the acting is truly flawless I liked it from our lead Toshirô Mifune who is just incredible. And same really goes for everyone else in this epic cast.

    The music is very good as well same with sets and weaponry and really just everything okay. So by the end this truly is my favourite western of all time. Simple no flaw.

    Keiko's score 100%
  • FilmFanatik
    January 13, 2011
    FilmFanatik
    As good as this film is I had the most difficult time getting through all of it in one sitting. I think the reason mainly is that the film only follows one character against other characters, and in the Kurosawa films I love there is usually an ensemble of characters. I'm also ... read morenot particularly fond of the score in places (although there are spots where it's fantastic). So I can't say that this is my favorite film of Kurosawa's, but definitely not a bad one. The man never made a poor film, and he made only 30.
  • nelsonpickens
    June 30, 2010
    nelsonpickens
    Yojimbo is one of the greatest and most stylish films ever made.Yojimbo has all of Kurosawa's qualities and none of the flaws. The music score is an essential element of the plot, almost a character itself.One of the unique things about Yojimbo is the central character. He is an ... read moreanti-hero. We see him initially as a killer and a man greedy for money. But then, he saves a family by re-uniting mother and child and giving them all the money he was advanced. Clint Eastwood could only aspire to equal such a performance or be as cool as Toshiro Mifune.One of the greatest movies by one of the greatest directors of all-time.
  • flixsterman
    May 25, 2010
    flixsterman
    A lone samurai wanders into a small town and into a feud between two rival gangs. With no allegiance to either side he decides to play one against the other for fun and profit.

    Yojimbo is a Kurosawa classic that has inspired several films in other genres, including wes... read moreterns and gangster films. A must see for serious film fans.
  • DrZeek
    May 22, 2010
    DrZeek
    Sanjuro: You're all tough, then?
    Gambler: What? Kill me if you can!
    Sanjuro: It'll hurt.

    Akira Kurosawa puts his favorite actor, Toshiro Mifune, into complete badass mode, as a wandering samurai playing a town with rival gangs against each other.

    Sanjuro: Cooper. Two coffins..... read more. No, maybe three.

    Based on the crime novel Red Harvest, which has been made into a film several times, including Leone's remake (basically) of this film, A Fistful of Dollars, and the Bruce Willis starer Last Man Standing; this is a pretty simple story that really only requires someone very cool to play two sides against each other, while using his own skill when need be. This film accomplishes that and its a lot of fun.

    True to Kurosawa form, the film is very good looking, with a number of great sequences and cool shots. Mifune is particularly good, playing a character different from some of the others he's portrayed in the past.

    Very good all around.

    Sanjuro: I'll get paid for killing, and this town is full of people who deserve to die.
  • DrBenway
    March 23, 2010
    DrBenway
    Extremely popular and widely acknowledged as one of Akira Kurosawa's finest films, Yojimbo has no difficulty living up to its reputation. Remade a handful of times and having inspired countless other films, Yojimbo was my introduction to the late Kurosawa many moons ago and I've ... read morebeen a fan of his films, ever since.

    Then...there's the incomparable Toshiro Mifune, who is outstanding as Sanjuro, the grimy, toothpick chewing, constantly scratching, unemployed samurai warrior but wise and cool all at once. Together, Kurosawa and Mifune changed the way I viewed films.

    I became an addict.

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  • blacksheepboy
    February 23, 2010
    blacksheepboy
    Kurosawa's classical film that inspired Sergio Leone and Quentin Tarantino, changing cinema with his use of dark humor in this very entertaining, delightful samurai story that features one great performance by Toshiro Mifune.

View All Yojimbo Reviews

Critic Reviews

March 4, 2013
TIME Magazine

A movie that is both a wow of a show and a masterpiece of misanthropy. Full Review

Don Druker
February 9, 2007
Don Druker, Chicago Reader

Action-packed, highly comic 1961 translation of Dashiell Hammett's Red Harvest. Full Review

Geoff Andrew
February 9, 2006
Geoff Andrew, Time Out

If the plot sounds familiar, it's probably because Leone stole it for A Fistful of Dollars. Full Review

Roger Ebert
January 20, 2006
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

Even Eastwood's Man With No Name is inspired, perhaps, by the samurai in Yojimbo. Full Review

Bosley Crowther
May 20, 2003
Bosley Crowther, New York Times

Despite the sometime appearance of the whole thing as a forthright travesty, it does have stretches of excitement and cinematic power. Full Review

James Berardinelli
October 10, 2002
James Berardinelli, ReelViews

It is fair to say that, without Yojimbo, certain key aspects of Western cinema would not be the same today. Full Review

Variety Staff
February 13, 2001
Variety Staff, Variety

Rousing, good story, told with vigor and visual excitement by Akira Kurosawa, and splendidly acted by Toshiro Mifune, this has ideal remake material for a Yank company. Full Review

Emanuel Levy
May 17, 2011
Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Com

Kurosawa's masterully executed acion film influenced many young directors, including Segio Leone. Full Review

Rob Humanick
April 20, 2011
Rob Humanick, Slant Magazine

A textbook example of the perfect crowd-pleaser. Full Review

Peter Canavese
March 28, 2010
Peter Canavese, Groucho Reviews

The biggest impression left by Yojimbo is the characterization of Sanjuro, whose iconography of stoic cool (that inspired Clint Eastwood's antiheroic "Man with No Name") is consistently undercut with ... Full Review

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  • What Akira Kurosawa film was remade by Sergio Leone as A Fistful of Dollars?  Answer »
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