Yojimbo

Yojimbo is a 1961 Akira Kurosawa classic, inspiration for 3 different re-makes: Fistful of Dollars, Sukiyaki Western Django, and Last Man Standing. It stars Toshiro Mifune and Takashi Shimura, who are both favorites with us. The score is great fun. We like everything about this movie.

trailer:

Slant Magazine gives it 4 out of 5 stars and calls it "Something of a textbook example of the perfect crowd-pleaser". Empire Online gives it 5 out of 5 stars and calls it a "masterpiece". DVD Talk says, "the brash but focused Yojimbo stands as a true Japanese classic, thanks to the weight of Kurosawa's capable direction, Mifune's charismatic performance, Masaru Sato's memorable score and many other elements." It is on Roger Ebert's list of Great Movies, and he notes it was "Akira Kurosawa's most popular film in Japan". Rotten Tomatoes has 97% for both critics and audience scores.