Sanjuro (1962)

Sanjuro: Directed by Akira Kurosawa. With Toshirô Mifune, Tatsuya Nakadai, Keiju Kobayashi, Yûzô Kayama. A crafty samurai helps a young man and his fellow clansmen trying to save his uncle, who has been framed and imprisoned by a corrupt superintendent.

“Akira Kurosawa and Toshiro Mifune combined their abilities in numerous fine movies, and while u0026quot;Sanjurou0026quot;, for its part, is lighter than most of the others, it is certainly one of the most entertaining of the movies that either of the two has made. Mifune gets a role that allows him to get many good moments, and itu0026#39;s also a role that he must have enjoyed playing.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe story is quite interesting, with many good turns and a way of keeping you guessing as to what will happen next. Mifune plays a samurai who takes it upon himself to try to save a rather hapless but nevertheless worthy clan from government conspiracy and from its own foolishness. Itu0026#39;s a role that gives him both plenty of good lines and plenty of good action sequences. Kurosawa, of course, knows just how to get the most out of all of the material, and the story also provides some interesting psychological insights on the characters.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe settings are very good, and they are often used in creative ways in telling the story. Except for Mifuneu0026#39;s character, most of the other characters are fairly one-dimensional, but they are believable, and they also allow plenty of room for Mifune to get the most out of each of his scenes. The result is a very enjoyable and well-crafted movie.”