---
title: "Yojimbo"
year: 1961
kind: "film"
canonical: "https://film.one/film/yojimbo"
fi1m_id: "yojimbo"
imdb_id: "tt0055630"
tmdb_id: 11878
wikidata_id: "Q20475"
fi1m_score: 88
critics_score: 79
critics_reviews: 6
published: "2026-09-15"
updated: "2026-09-18T08:38:34.459729+00:00"
region: "IS"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Yojimbo (1961)

Directed by Akira Kurosawa · 1h 50m · Drama, Thriller

## Identity

Yojimbo

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/film/yojimbo
- **Type:** Film
- **Fi1m ID:** yojimbo
- **IMDb ID:** tt0055630
- **TMDB ID:** 11878
- **Wikidata ID:** Q20475
- **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0055630/, https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/11878, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q20475

**Fi1m score: 88** · Critics 79 from 6 reviews

*In a sentence:* Toshirō Mifune makes laziness look like a perfectly sensible way to frighten people

> Akira Kurosawa’s *Yojimbo* is a sharply staged, darkly funny thriller, carried by Toshirō Mifune’s scruffy, calculating samurai. The scheming grows repetitive, but the performance and the clarity of the action make it easy to recommend.

## Synopsis

A wandering samurai, Sanjuro Kuwabatake (Toshirō Mifune), arrives in a small town divided by two rival gangs. He sets about playing the factions against each other, using their feud for his own purposes. Among the town’s inhabitants are tavern keeper Gonji (Eijirō Tōno), brothel operator Seibê (Seizaburō Kawazu) and sake brewer Tokuemon (Takashi Shimura). Tatsuya Nakadai plays Unosuke, a gunfighter. Directed by Akira Kurosawa, *Yojimbo* follows a man who approaches the conflict with little respect for either side and no enthusiasm for conventional heroics.

## Review

*Yojimbo* is a thoroughly enjoyable thriller about a man who sees two gangs feuding over a small town and decides that their hostility could be useful. Akira Kurosawa gives Sanjuro plenty of scope to be clever, nasty and funny, without asking us to mistake him for a model citizen. Toshirō Mifune supplies the chief reason to watch: an apparent unwillingness to exert himself that makes everyone else’s agitation look foolish. We recommend it warmly, with a small warning that the manoeuvring occasionally becomes more elaborate than interesting.

Mifune’s physical performance is so persuasive that Sanjuro scarcely needs an explanation for his behaviour. His scruffiness and studied reluctance to do much make him seem approachable, until his capacity for violence changes our minds. We laughed at his indolence, then felt chilled by how casually he could hurt someone. Kurosawa and co-writer Ryuzo Kikushima are wise to leave that discomfort in place; the jokes would be much less interesting if the script kept assuring us that we were backing a decent man.

Cinematographer Kazuo Miyagawa uses the widescreen frame to keep us alert to the rival groups and the space between them. The compositions help us follow the scheming because we can study the people who have to be persuaded or intimidated. The telephoto action photography has force without making the fighting difficult to follow. Yoshirō Muraki’s production design gives the gangs a small, contained place to dispute, and helps make their constant proximity feel oppressive.

Kurosawa is also the editor, and he gives Mifune’s apparent inactivity enough time to become funny. The changes of pace matter because a film about calculating opponents can easily become a succession of explanations. Here, the action interrupts our comfortable enjoyment of Sanjuro’s cleverness, and its directness gives the jokes an unpleasant edge. Masaru Satō’s music adds a welcome jazzy insolence; it suits the samurai’s lack of ceremony and helps the film stay playful without making the danger seem negligible.

The limitation is that we become more interested in Sanjuro than in the people he manipulates. Once we have enjoyed Mifune sizing up the opposition, another round of scheming does not necessarily tell us much more about him. Kurosawa and Kikushima draw the surrounding rivalry broadly, which is useful for comedy but leaves some of the manoeuvring short of surprise. At 110 minutes the film is hardly an endurance test, though a little less business would have made its nastiness more concentrated.

The mixture of samurai film, Western and noir is easy company. Kurosawa takes the familiar stranger entering a lawless town and finds humour in the amount of trouble its inhabitants manufacture. The cruelty matters because it prevents the genre pleasures from becoming too reassuring; Sanjuro’s casual violence fits all too comfortably into the town he finds. We can enjoy his superiority without having to believe that a ruthless man is the answer to every civic problem.

There is plenty here for anyone who comes primarily for the fighting, and enough malice in the comedy to keep the quieter stretches alive. Mifune is the reason to return, particularly if the plotting has lost its power to surprise. Watch him when he seems to be doing least; Kurosawa knows how much entertainment there is in a dangerous man who would prefer not to make an effort.

*Fi1m score 88, published 15 September 2026.*

## What the critics say

Most critics respond warmly to Yojimbo’s blend of samurai film, Western and black comedy, with praise clustering around Kurosawa’s visual control and Mifune’s performance. The reviews repeatedly single out the lead’s physical mannerisms, deadpan humour and pragmatic approach to violence, finding a compelling centre in a man with little interest in conventional heroism. Widescreen compositions, forceful action and cynical wit also draw approval, while several critics see the entertainment sharpened by its view of a cruel society.

The spread is largely positive, with reservations concentrated in The New York Times rather than shared across the reviews. That review admires Mifune’s commanding presence and acknowledges passages of cinematic power, but finds borrowed Western conventions and technical virtuosity insufficient beside Rashomon. The main divide is over the genre borrowing: most critics welcome the mixture, while the dissent finds it less substantial than Kurosawa’s other work.

## Straight answers

**Is Yojimbo worth watching?**

*Yojimbo* is worth watching for anyone who likes a thriller with a dry, nasty sense of humour, and we scored it 88. Toshirō Mifune's lazy, calculating samurai is the chief reason to see it. The scheming between the two gangs grows repetitive, but the clarity of the action and the performance carry it comfortably.

**How long is Yojimbo, and what is it rated?**

*Yojimbo* runs 1h 50m. It is a drama and thriller film.

**Where can I watch Yojimbo in Iceland?**

*Yojimbo* is not on any streaming or rental service in Iceland at the moment. It is available in 6 other countries; change your country at the top of the page to see where. Availability is checked daily.

**How violent or frightening is Yojimbo, and is it suitable for children?**

*Yojimbo* is a UK PG, so its violence is brief and unbloody by modern standards, though Sanjuro's casual cruelty gives the comedy an unpleasant edge. There is nothing frightening in the horror sense. Older children who can follow subtitles will manage; younger ones may find the plotting slow and the tone colder than the certificate suggests.

**How does Yojimbo compare to Harakiri?**

*Yojimbo* is the funnier and more playful of the two, while [*Harakiri*](https://film.one/film/harakiri) is the harsher and more serious. Kurosawa's film treats samurai codes as a game for a clever man to exploit; Kobayashi's is angry at cruelty dressed up as honour. Choose *Yojimbo* for entertainment and *Harakiri* if you have patience for a slower, more demanding drama.

**What should I watch after Yojimbo?**

After *Yojimbo*, try [*Harakiri*](https://film.one/film/harakiri) (1962, Fi1m 91): For a harsher examination of samurai honour, with patience that pays off. Then [*Le Samouraï*](https://film.one/film/le-samourai) (1967, Fi1m 88): Another solitary professional whose smallest movements make the surrounding company look careless; and [*The Guard*](https://film.one/film/the-guard) (2011, Fi1m 78): Abrasive humour and criminal negotiations, handled by a man disinclined to impress anyone.

### Reviews we read (7)

- **RogerEbert.com**, Roger Ebert (90/100, inferred): The critic praises Kurosawa's blend of samurai and Western elements in this tale of a cunning ronin who manipulates two rival factions in a lawless town. Mifune's charismatic, amoral performance and the film's sharp visual compositions and dark humor are singled out for admiration. [Read](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/great-movie-yojimbo-1961)
- **Slant Magazine**, Rob Humanick (85/100, inferred): The critic hails Yojimbo as a landmark Kurosawa film and perfect crowd-pleaser for its genre-blending entertainment value and sly political commentary. Mifune’s charismatic, physically expressive lead performance and the director’s masterful widescreen compositions and tonal balance are singled out for particular praise. [Read](https://www.slantmagazine.com/dvd/yojimbo/)
- **Empire**, empire (80/100, inferred): A wandering samurai plays two feuding gangs against each other in a small town until they wipe each other out. The film is noted for its cynical wit and influence on later spaghetti westerns. [Read](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/yojimbo-review/)
- **Time Out**, TR (80/100, inferred): The film belongs in the select group of film noirs that are also comedies, marking a departure from Kurosawa's earlier sentimental moralising. It singles out the ultra-pragmatic, unheroic Sanjuro as the centrepiece whose laziness, mannerisms and violence reflect the town and society's cruelty. [Read](https://www.timeout.com/movies/yojimbo)
- **Variety**, Variety Staff (80/100, inferred): The critic calls it a rousing, good story told with vigor and visual excitement by Kurosawa and splendidly acted by Mifune, with ideal remake potential. Mastery of the medium, adroit character choices, exciting camera work, and effective music are highlighted. [Read](https://variety.com/1960/film/reviews/yojimbo-1200419816/)
- **The New York Times**, Bosley Crowther (60/100, inferred): The review describes the film as a transposition of American Western clichés into a Japanese setting, with stretches of excitement and cinematic power from the master director Kurosawa. It notes Mifune's commanding performance but finds the film shows more virtuosity than strength compared to Rashomon. [Read](https://www.nytimes.com/1962/10/16/archives/screen-oriental-westernyojimbo-with-toshiro-mifune-arrives.html)
- **Eye for Film**, Donald Munro: The critic praises Kurosawa's masterful blending of a late Edo-period samurai story with Western, film noir, and jazz elements into something wholly new and subversive. Mifune's scruffy, deadpan ronin and the film's innovative telephoto-lens action sequences stand out as highlights. [Read](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/yojimbo-1961-film-review-by-donald-munro)

## Details

- **Director:** Akira Kurosawa
- **Director:** Akira Kurosawa
- **Screenplay:** Akira Kurosawa, Ryuzo Kikushima
- **Cinematography:** Kazuo Miyagawa
- **Editor:** Akira Kurosawa
- **Music:** Masaru Satō
- **Production design:** Yoshirō Muraki
- **Costume design:** Yoshirō Muraki
- **Producer:** Akira Kurosawa
- **Cast:** Toshirō Mifune as Sanjuro Kuwabatake / The Samurai; Tatsuya Nakadai as Unosuke, gunfighter; Yōko Tsukasa as Nui; Isuzu Yamada as Orin; Daisuke Katō as Inokichi; Seizaburō Kawazu as Seibê - brothel operator; Takashi Shimura as Tokuemon, sake brewer; Hiroshi Tachikawa as Yoichiro
- **Runtime:** 1h 50m
- **First release (Japan):** 25 April 1961
- **Genres:** Drama, Thriller
- **Budget:** $91 million
- **Box office:** $351 million
- **Trailer:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y_1iT_GmHTE

## Where to watch in Iceland

Not streaming, renting or buying in Iceland at the last check.

Also available in: AT, DE, ES, GB, JP, US. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country.

## Awards

- Academy Awards 1962: Best Costume Design, Black-and-White (nominated)

## If you liked this

- *A Fistful of Dollars* (1964): The same appetite for mercenary cunning, with even less interest in good manners.
- *Harakiri* (1962), Fi1m 91: For a harsher examination of samurai honour, with patience that pays off. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/harakiri.md)
- *Le Samouraï* (1967), Fi1m 88: Another solitary professional whose smallest movements make the surrounding company look careless. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/le-samourai.md)
- *The Guard* (2011), Fi1m 78: Abrasive humour and criminal negotiations, handled by a man disinclined to impress anyone. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/the-guard.md)
- *The Ladykillers* (1955), Fi1m 86: For more criminals whose elaborate plans cannot compensate for being dreadful company. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/the-ladykillers.md)

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/film/yojimbo