starring Toshiro Mifune, Tatsuya Nakadai
directed by Akira Kurosawa
96 minutes
Sanjuro Tsubaki (Toshiro Mifune), a ronin, meets nine samurai who are clueless about the trouble they have gotten themselves into and unknowingly involved Sanjuro. They think they have solved a problem when in fact they have just created one. Sanjuro offers to help them. The nine are of two minds. Some of them are suspicious of his motives, but others believe him to be true to his word.
The ten men (the nine plus Sanjuro) are hunted by Hanbei Muroto (Tatsuya Nakadai) who leads the forces that pursue them. Dissent within the ranks of the nine creates problems that almost get them and Sanjuro killed. Is it only his quick thinking that keeps them all alive.
I'm pretty sure that this is the first time I have seen this movie. I wasn't sure where it was all going. Some of the pieces fell into places for me as I was watching it but it wasn't until the very end that I was able to piece it all together.
There is a sentiment expressed at the end of the movie that felt like it should have been a reflection of something expressed earlier in the movie. It is possible that there was some indication of the kinship that Sanjuro felt for Muroto earlier in the movie but I don't recall any such moment.
I did like the humorous touches in this movie. The most frequently recurring moments revolved around a captive who would occasionally pop up to say something and then apologize for speaking out of turn. His little moments helped to lighten the movie which other wise was fairly serious.
I don't think a re-watch will change my opinion of this movie too much. I like it but it feels as though it is missing something. It is not the tour de force that some of Kurosawa's collaborations with Mifune are. I don't regret watching it but I don't feel drawn to watch it again.
Akira Kurosawa: It Is Wonderful to Create: Sanjuro (2002)
35 minutes
This extra feature is included on the Criterion Collection DVD that I borrowed from the library. Kurosawa died in 1998. This feature is one in a series of such shorts, each one focuses on a different Kurosawa film. The documentary is in Japanese with English subtitles.
Three actors (one of whom is Tatsuya Nakadai) and several crew members talk about their memories of making the movie. It is a nice companion piece to the movie. which provides some insight into the what it was like on set and the care that went into making the movie look just right.
This is good but not great. It didn't make me look at the movie in a whole new light but it did add to the experience.
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