Most people lump samurai movies (especially black and white ones!) along with other classic action genres such as kung fu and the western. So I can understand why people who aren’t cinephiles might dismiss samurai movies as boring, dated, and hard to understand. And when the name Akira Kurosawa comes into play, some people might feel that his movies would be over their head.

To confess, I am one of those people who don’t like samurai movies. They are so cliched and dramatic to the point of being unintentionally funny. (Zatoichi is an exception: There is something insanely cool about a blind swordsman who pretends to clueless. Shh.) When my boyfriend bought the new Yojimbo & Sanjuro DVD collection, I found that I actually enjoyed these movies. They weren’t overly dramatic and the stories are simple, with a good message about men’s tendency to use violence to settle problems.

Sanjuro (if that’s his real name–he makes a dramatic pause and looks out the window everytime someone asks who he is, not to mention he gives different names in both movies) is an atypical samurai in that he is scruffy, rude and asks for money and food–something that (honorable) samurai are not supposed to do. In Yojimbo (”guard-for-hire”) he comes in the middle of a Western-like town feud between two gangs. Sanjuro flip flops from side to side to whoever outbids the other! In Sanjuro, the ronin (wandering samurai) helps out a bunch of young samurai who are trying to overthrow a rotten authority head. An excellent sequel, Sanjuro perhaps is the more “deeper” out of the two films in regards to its messages–and is also the more humorous one.

Yes, you heard right: these films offer something that isn’t associated so much with the samurai film genre: humor! Probably the best part about these films is that they are filled with dark comedy. Sanjuro himself is humorous in his gruff speech and mannerisms, something that contrasts with the clean and modest-speaking Japanese. There are a lot great comedic scenes that will catch you by surprise, if only for the fact that you aren’t expecting anything other than dramatic fight sequences in these sort of movies.

One example: In Sanjuro there is a scene in which the good guys have captured an enemy and stick him in the closet. Throughout random moments in the rest of the film, he politely comes out of the closet to offer some input to their plans, and then obediently goes back in! Comedic genius.

With their dark humor and great casting, Yojimbo and Sanjuro are perfect samurai movies for those who don’t like samurai movies. Put down Rush Hour and try them the next time you are looking for an action comedy.

No Comments »

No comments yet.

RSS feed for comments on this post. TrackBack URL

Leave a comment