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

Apr 1

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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Bert D

@LordBort92 4d

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

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Richard S.

@shepado 6d

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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Stephen C

@bob25009 Jun 9

Funny in 1 hour and 50 minutes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! In Japanese and English versions with English subtitles!!!!!!!!!!!! Based on a Japanese legend about a samurai warrior fighting for his country and clan!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Petros T

@PetrosTserpelis Apr 22

Influenced by preceding Westerns but also highly influential in its own right for the movies that followed, "Yôjinbô" executes the genre's now familiar tropes with conviction and style while also infusing them with a subtle but potent sense of humour. Some sequences are really captivating and overall it's quite an engaging film, though it doesn't eschew certain convenient conventions and some OTT acting, and it rarely hints at something more layered or subversive than what the premise indicates.

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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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