Yojimbo

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Yojimbo

1961,

1h 50m,

Adventure/

Comedy/

Mystery & Thriller

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Watchlist

96%

49 Reviews

Tomatometer

96%

25,000+ Ratings

Popcornmeter

96%

Tomatometer

49 Reviews

96%

Popcornmeter

25,000+ Ratings

A nameless ronin, or samurai with no master (Toshirô Mifune), enters a small village in feudal Japan where two rival businessmen are struggling for control of the local gambling trade. Taking the name Sanjuro Kuwabatake, the ronin convinces both silk merchant Tazaemon (Kamatari Fujiwara) and sake merchant Tokuemon (Takashi Shimura) to hire him as a personal bodyguard, then artfully sets in motion a full-scale gang war between the two ambitious and unscrupulous men.

Critics Consensus

As effortlessly engaging as it is widely influential, Yojimbo represents Kurosawa at the peak of his powers -- and lays the groundwork for the modern American western.

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Chuck Bowen

Slant Magazine

Jan 9, 2025

Yojimbo’s premise, concerning fisticuffs between samurai and ruffians that distract the populace from the seizure of power by white-collar thugs, has only grown more pertinent to our present day.

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David Parkinson

Empire Magazine

Jun 14, 2020

5/5

Yojimbo is intimate to the point of claustrophobia. Its wit is wry, its characters flawed and its world-view uncompromisingly cynical.

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Rob Humanick

Slant Magazine

Apr 20, 2011

4/4

A textbook example of the perfect crowd-pleaser.

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Josh Larsen

LarsenOnFilm

May 6, 2025

3.5/4

Although swords strike and blood flows, Yojimbo mostly registers as a comedy.

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James Kendrick

Q Network Film Desk

Apr 1, 2025

3.5/4

While it might not be one of Kurosawa’s most thematically accomplished or narratively complex samurai films, it is certainly one of his most visually ravishing, and that alone justifies its place in the pantheon of great action films

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Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

Feb 5, 2025

4/4

A staple of any serious cinephile’s education, as well as a worthy entry point for foreign-film novices wanting to get their feet wet before plunging into the deeper waters of Bergman or Fellini.

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Han R

Mar 16, 2019

ToshirÃ´ Mifune as Sanjuro has an amazing performance. He became a samurai who looks cool and didn't sell heroism. Seems that he is tangled, lazy, often yawn, he is like a wolf. Like for example, when he moves his shoulders, it's like he always feels sore. No one would have thought that he was a great samurai. The film also has a sequel, Sanjuro. On the other hand, Yojimbo became its own originality of western with Japanese traditional set. The movement, blocking, acting, music, I don't know. Seems like this is a kind of movie you want to talk about. This is a movie with a new offered age. Such a perfect balance.

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Anakin W

Feb 20, 2019

Absolutely brilliant. While this was remade with Sergio Leone' The Fistful of Dollars, both main characters have different notations (without spoilers) making both films feel familiar but very unique. Akira directing and story is once again, top class. Toshiro Mifune once again is amazing. Story is about a Ronin who travels to a village dominated by 2 gangs how works with them to get rid of them. Genius film

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Theodore G

Jan 17, 2019

Boy just wanted to cause trouble and see shit go down, one of the best movies I had to watch at school.

Hermione L

Nov 13, 2018

An excellent not-technically-a-western film that hones its craft to a deliberate edge, playing the simplicity of the story with outrageous grace and power.

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Sep 18, 2018

lol rated in top 10 action films? What a joke.

Poe P

Nov 28, 2017

A great big Japanese "western"

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Akira Kurosawa

Director

Toshiro Mifune

Sanjuro Kuwabatake

Tatsuya Nakadai

Unosuke

Eijiro Tono

Gonji, tavern keeper

Takashi Shimura

Tokuemon

Seizaburô Kawazu

Seibei

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Synopsis

A nameless ronin, or samurai with no master (Toshirô Mifune), enters a small village in feudal Japan where two rival businessmen are struggling for control of the local gambling trade. Taking the name Sanjuro Kuwabatake, the ronin convinces both silk merchant Tazaemon (Kamatari Fujiwara) and sake merchant Tokuemon (Takashi Shimura) to hire him as a personal bodyguard, then artfully sets in motion a full-scale gang war between the two ambitious and unscrupulous men.

Director: Akira Kurosawa
Producer: Akira Kurosawa
Screenwriter: Ryûzô Kikushima, Akira Kurosawa
Production Co: Toho Company Ltd.
Genre: Adventure, Comedy, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: Japanese
Release Date (Theaters): Oct 15, 1961, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Mar 23, 2017
Runtime: 1h 50m
Sound Mix: Perspecta Stereo
Aspect Ratio: Scope (2.35:1)

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