Yojimbo

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Yojimbo

1961

1h 50m

Adventure

Comedy

Mystery & Thriller

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

96%

Tomatometer

51 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.

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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

01/09/2025

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

06/14/2020

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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TIME Magazine

03/04/2013

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

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Josh Larsen

LarsenOnFilm

May 6

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

04/01/2025

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

02/05/2025

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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Wayne K

@RT88290232 Mar 26

Not the most discussed or acclaimed Kurosawa film but one still worthy of praise, Yojimbo stars the directors most famous stalwart, Toshiro Mifune, where he plays a ‘Man with no name’ prototype in a tale that explores the meaning of honour, loyalty and the mercenary nature that drives us. It’s easy and even necessary to become confused and lost among the town’s allegiances, as this keeps us in the same mindset as our lead. We’re following a man the film doesn’t try to paint as a good person. His concern is his own health and wealth, a classic ronin who couldn’t care less which side wins as long as he’s on the one paying him the most money. I can’ say I enjoyed the film as much as the other Kurosawa movies I’ve seen so far, but its camerawork, cinematography and performances all distinguish it as the work of a true auteur.

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Kyle M

@RT77296778 Feb 25

Commended as core influence on Clint Eastwood’s spaghetti western trilogy, with pre-established parallels embodied through Toshiro Mifune’s impressive performance under studious neutrality, Akira Kurosawa’s downscaled mastery is sequentially elegant without much dimensional engagement from missed potential complexity to transcend its definitive positional alignment. (B)

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Bert D

@LordBort92 Feb 1

some goofy characters are a bit over the top but nevertheless another timeless gem

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Richard S.

@shepado Jan 30

My favorite movie of all time!

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Lars N

@movie_douche Oct 21

Much like Die Hard this has such an 'action movie blueprint'-feel to it. You can see why. It's entertaining from start to finish in ways most modern films can't bost.

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Julian Rex M

@Julian_M Aug 31

A slickly framed classic of the samurai genre, Yojimbo may not reach the emotional and narrative heights of Kurosawa's greater masterpieces, but its slickly choreographed action scenes and lively approach cement make it fully worthy of the seat of influence that it has long since held.

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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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