Review – Yojimbo

This is a must-see for anyone who likes samurai movies. It’s shorter than The Seven Samurai and thus not quite as complex, but it’s still a lot better crafted that most action movies. Toshiro Mifune stars as a masterless swordsman who strays into a town terrorized by two rival gangs. Half the fun here is watching our hero cleverly pitting the two warring factions against each other, finding ways to trick them into killing one another. And of course there’s plenty of sword-slashing action as well. The Criterion Collection DVD was made from a print that left something to be desired, but the occasional scratch does little to diminish the overall viewing experience. Buy the disc