SANJURO (TSUBAKI SANJURO) (1962) B/W widescreen 96m dir: Akira Kurosawa

w/Toshiro Mifune, Yuzo Kayama, Tatsuya Nakadai, Keiju Kobayashi, Reiko Dan, Takashi Shimura

Lighthearted sequel to YOJIMBO has samurai Mifune aiding a band of young, untried warriors against a corrupt politician. Lots of fun.

From Variety's review of the film: "Roughly the Japanese equivalent of an American Western, Sanjuro brings to the screen an epic hero far more formidable than the celebrated tall men and top guns of the 19th century Yankee frontier. The charm of this fascinating Toho production, stylishly directed by Akira Kurosawa, is the personality of the hero, powerfully played by Toshiro Mifune. ...

"As usual, Kurosawa doesn't compromise in the battle and brutality area. This one features a rousing climactic duel between the title roleist and his chief adversary that outdoes the average Western showdown by a dramatic mile."