Yojimbo (The Criterion Collection) [Blu-ray]

Yojimbo (1961) is a great well done movie. If you liked "A Fistful of Dollars" (1964), you should like this too.It's a Japanese film, so it has sub-titles, but well worth watching. I enjoyed the movie a lot!!

If this is something that you like then get it. Physical copies are becoming more and more rare, but right now the prices are lower than they have ever been, so go for it. It is better to physically own the things that you like because then you can watch them whenever you want, and if you have kids or ever do end up with kids, you’ll be able to show them the fantastic things without having to worry about them finding stuff you don’t want them to see.

Yojimbo is great entertainment. What's not to like about this rootless ronin, wandering..who knows where? I love the opening scene with Toshiro's mighty back, his face toward the mountain. How oddly Paramount-ish the film is..anybody remember the Indiana Jones scene with Indy's back...Indy looking at the mountain. Spielberg said that, as a kid, he used his own crayola version of the mountain logo (Spielberg means "play-mountain" in German).We know how much he and Lucas loved Kurasawa films..they point to the Hidden Fortress, but, heck, what about Yojimbo? Oh, I think they took a page from Kuraswa's notebook, don't you? Check the two scenes against one another. You'll see.Yeah, It's influential. I won't go into the American Westerns influenced by the film. Let's say this: It's fabulous dark entertainment, and, after viewing other Kurasawa films, perhaps Yojimbo gains a certain depth. One recognizes characters from other films..it's like seeing family members in a whole new light with new skills that surprise you, make you respect them. Ok. Maybe not Toshiro Mifune. He's always cool. I always love him. He's always compelling to watch, even when he isn't really doing anything. There's always the potential for action that thrills.Hey, and what cooler scene in any movie than the dog walking down the street with a human hand in its mouth, then the pan to Mifune, and his reaction?Absolutely priceless.

I'm fortunate to be just starting my Akira Kurosawa collection. With this collection, I get 25 of his 30 movies in one set. I love the Criterion collection and have many titles from them. Great picture quality, sound and lots of extras.But be aware that this commemorative set contains just the movies but no extras. That means no commentaries, no documentaries and not even a trailer. You do get the original Japanese track plus english subtitles and, of course, the picture at the Criterion standard (excellent). The one bonus is the 96-page book with plenty of pictures, a 10-page essay on Akira Kurosawa by Stephen Prince and a one-page essay on each of the 25 movies. To me, it will be a great introduction.To compare, the full-version Criterion 'Seven Samurai' set spreads the movie over two dual-layer DVDs to maximize the picture quality and include two commentaries. In this 25-movie collection, the same movie is on only one dual-layer DVD. It is still very good by the way and it depends how much you value extras.For people of already collected the Kurosawa series, I hope Criterion will release separately the four titles not available out of loyalty to their gentle viewers.For me, I look forward to the holidays to start my introduction to Kurosawa's 50-year career.

When this box set came out, I started to sell the DVDs I already had from it (around 9 criterion collection editions, many of them with additional discs and extras) in order to purchase this collection. I decided that the films themselves were enough for me (the DVDs here come with no extras, through the quality of the film restoration is amazing). This set presents the full arc of Kurosawa's career. While some of the films, like No Regrets for Our Youth and the Idiot, are not worth watching more than once in my opinion, there are many gems here, like Scandal and Drunken Angel, that I will no doubt return to again and again. All of my favorites are here too (7 Samurai, High and Low, etc. etc.)So, if you want the educational aspects of previous criterion releases (such as the great commentary tracks and interviews), stay away from this box set. If you are comfortable enjoying the master's work unadorned, this is a wonderful and economic way to do so.