Yoyimbo

Yoyimbo (1961)

a film by Akira Kurosawa

This movie embodies all the climate that inspired Western movies, no surprise two of its remakes became to be so celebrated: A fistful of dollars(1964) and The last man standing(1996). It has the same desolation of the lawless lands, it has the synthetic story, the unleashed violence and the figure of the renegade, the ruthless anti-hero that is memorable in Clint Eastwood but is outstanding with Toshiro Mifune.

I enjoyed the two groups fighting over this town. I loved the cartoonish depictions of the characters: the huge guy with the hammer, the terrible looking outlaws, the peculiar looking Inokichi, the greedy and heartless wife, the pusillanimous constable, the newly arrived guy with the gun and so on. All of them make a really rich set of characters and although the story is so simple the characters together with the great soundtrack and smart camera movements provide an entertaining environment for the story.

Toshiro Mifune is great and the soul that he brings to this renegade is hard to match (it would take nothing less than Clint Eastwood to follow him). This masterless samurai is the perfect representation of the antihero and the fact that Mifune gives him so much ease and confidense makes it a memorable character.

This is the ultimate western and the great introduction of the "Man with no name" to the history of cinema. Is not my favorite Kurosawa but is lots of fun.