Yojimbo: Difference between revisions

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''Yojimbo'' -- more correctly Yōjinbō, meaning "bodyguard" -- is a 1961 [[Jidai Geki]] directed by [[Akira Kurosawa]], loosely based on [[Dashiell Hammett]]'s novel ''Red Harvest''. It stars [[Toshiro Mifune]] as wandering rōnin Sanjūrō, who arrives in a town beset by criminals and decides to clean the place up (apparently for fun). His method is simple, yet clever: he reduces the number of gangsters in the town by getting the two rival factions to go to war, then mops up the remainder. An enormously influential film, it has had at least two direct remakes -- [[Sergio Leone]]'s ''[[A Fistful of Dollars]]'', and Walter Hill's ''[[Last Man Standing (~~Film~~)|Last Man Standing]]'' -- as well as homages in numerous other films and television shows. It was even used as the basis of [http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/EP042 an episode] of the ''Pokémon'' anime.

''Yojimbo'' -- more correctly Yōjinbō, meaning "bodyguard" -- is a 1961 [[Jidai Geki]] directed by [[Akira Kurosawa]], loosely based on [[Dashiell Hammett]]'s novel ''Red Harvest''. It stars [[Toshiro Mifune]] as wandering rōnin Sanjūrō, who arrives in a town beset by criminals and decides to clean the place up (apparently for fun). His method is simple, yet clever: he reduces the number of gangsters in the town by getting the two rival factions to go to war, then mops up the remainder. An enormously influential film, it has had at least two direct remakes -- [[Sergio Leone]]'s ''[[A Fistful of Dollars]]'', and Walter Hill's ''[[Last Man Standing (film)|Last Man Standing]]'' -- as well as homages in numerous other films and television shows. It was even used as the basis of [http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/EP042 an episode] of the ''Pokémon'' anime.

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* [[Character Tics]]: Sanjūrō has a habit of keeping one hand inside of his clothing and twitching his shoulders. The idea behind this is that he's like a wolf/dog and has fleas- making him ''[[Incredibly Lame Pun|a character with ticks]]''.

* [[Chekhov's Skill]]: Sanjūrō is a crack shot knife thrower.

* [[Distracted By the Sexy]]: Subverted, although they give it a good try.

* [[Distracted by the Sexy]]: Subverted, although they give it a good try.

* [[The Ditz]]: Inokichi doesn't even know how to count with his fingers. {{spoiler|He later helps Sanjūrō escape from Ushitora's gang, unvoluntarily.}}

* [[Don't Make Me Destroy You]]: Sanjūrō warns three mooks that mocked him earlier. {{spoiler|Said mooks are all sentenced to death if caught and seem quite proud of it. Sanjūrō has thus no qualms and slays them all as a demonstration of his skills and utters the aforementionned badass line about the coffins.}}

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* [[I Surrender, Suckers]]: Subverted. [[Revolvers Are Just Better|Unosuke]] {{spoiler|is so far into his death throes}} that he can't even finish Sanjūrō off at point blank range.

* [[Line-of-Sight Name]]: When asked what his name is, Mifune looks out over a field of mulberry trees and gives the name Kuwabatake (mulberry field) Sanjūrō (thirty-ish).

* [[Lost Him in A Card Game]]: The husband in the family in the [[Pet the Dog]] example lost his wife (and their house) gambling.

* [[Lost Him in a Card Game]]: The husband in the family in the [[Pet the Dog]] example lost his wife (and their house) gambling.

* [[Master Swordsman]]: Sanjūrō

* [[Mob War]]

* [[Mr. Exposition]]: Gonji, who lays out the whole situation in town and who everybody is to Sanjuro(and the audience).

* [[Nerves of Steel]]: Sanjūrō, as best displayed during the escape scene. Even after being beaten within an inch of his life, he's still able to think clearly enough to make an effective escape.

* [[Never Bring a Knife To A Gun Fight]]: {{spoiler|Averted. Sanjūrō wins.}}

* [[Never Bring a Knife to A Gun Fight]]: {{spoiler|Averted. Sanjūrō wins.}}

* [[Pet the Dog]]: Sanjūrō manages to save a family that's been caught between the quarrels of the two gangs, which [[Jerk ~~With~~ a Heart of Gold|tends to make him less antiheroic.]] In order to act a little more rugged, Sanjūrō [[Shoo the Dog|threatens them with death if they don't get the hell out of there fast enough. He does so with good reason: If they're caught, they'll likely be killed.]]

* [[Pet the Dog]]: Sanjūrō manages to save a family that's been caught between the quarrels of the two gangs, which [[Jerk with a Heart of Gold|tends to make him less antiheroic.]] In order to act a little more rugged, Sanjūrō [[Shoo the Dog|threatens them with death if they don't get the hell out of there fast enough. He does so with good reason: If they're caught, they'll likely be killed.]]

** Also, at the very beginning of the film, he chances to see a farmer boy quarreling with his parents; he intends to join one of the gangs, thinking that the excitement and riches are preferable to a boring life of farming and eating gruel. Near the end of the film, Sanjūrō actually has that ''same farmer-turned-gangster'' at swordpoint. Rather than cut him down, though, Sanjūrō just remarks to him that perhaps the gruel-eating life ''is'' better than this. The boy, elated at this mercy, runs off.

* [[Playing Both Sides]]: Sort-of the movie's main premise. Arguably this is the [[Trope Codifier|codifying]] example as it is the most identifiable element in the remakes [[A Fistful of Dollars]] and Last Man Standing, and is oft cited as a primary influence in later works that revolve around this premise.

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* [[Trigger Happy]]: Unosuke just seems to like shooting things...

* [[Walking the Earth]]: At the beginning, Sanjūrō wanders in whatever direction a casually thrown branch suggests.

* [[War for Fun ~~And~~ Profit]]: The casket-maker has this attitude.

* [[War for Fun and Profit]]: The casket-maker has this attitude.