![]() ![]() Seibei immediately hires him, and the samurai gives his name as Sanjuro Kuwabatake, which translates to “thirty-year-old mulberry field” (“I’m almost 40”). The samurai, being firmly on his own side, approaches Seibei and offers his services, proving his skill by cutting down three of Ushitora’s henchmen. ![]() He’s given a crash course in the brutal state of affairs by Gonji (Eijirō Tōno), a cynical innkeeper weary of the bloodshed. He ends up in a town dominated by two warring gangs, led by Ushitora (Kyū Sazanka) and Seibei (Seizaburo Kawazu). The year is 1860-just before Japan would undergo a seismic cultural shift-and a samurai (Toshiro Mifune) is wandering aimlessly about the countryside, throwing a stick to determine which way he’ll go. ![]() That Yojimbo is so very entertaining makes it all the easier. Ironically, Kurosawa drew heavily upon the Dashiell Hammett novels Red Harvest and The Glass Key, without actually crediting either, but 60 years after the fact (almost exactly-September 13 will be the anniversary of its American release), if one can forgive Leone his borrowings, one can certainly forgive Kurosawa his. It’s hard to say which of Kurosawa’s films has been the most influential, or been the most imitated certainly Yojimbo has to be a strong contender, since Sergio Leone drew heavily upon it for A Fistful of Dollars (without permission) and Walter Hill outright remade it (with permission) as Last Man Standing. “I’ll get paid for killing, and this town is full of people who deserve to die.” ![]()
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