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With: Toshirô Mifune, Tatsuya Nakadai, Keiju Kobayashi, Yûzô Kayama, Reiko Dan, Takashi Shimura, Kamatari Fujiwara, Takako Irie, Masao Shimizu, Yûnosuke Itô
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Written by: Ryûzô Kikushima, Hideo Oguni, Akira Kurosawa, based on a novel by Shûgorô Yamamoto
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Directed by: Akira Kurosawa
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MPAA Rating: NR
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Language: Japanese, with English subtitles
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Running Time: 96
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Date: 05/07/1963
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Karma Camellias
By Jeffrey M. Anderson
Akira Kurosawa had intended to make an adaptation of a novel by Shûgorô Yamamoto, but when his Yojimbo became a huge success, it was decided to turn the film into a sequel, using the character of Sanjuro. As a result, Sanjuro is tonally quite different from its predecessor, funnier and less dense, but still a fantastic companion piece. (It tends to be underrated by comparison.) In it, Sanjuro (Toshiro Mifune) stumbles upon a group of nine young, naive samurai who are just discovering corruption among their leaders, and decides to help them. The more straightforward story gives Mifune more room to play around and have fun, and it's one of his coolest performances. ("Aren't you tired of being stupid yet?" he barks at the young innocents.) Even so, it has an unforgettable ending, shocking and disquieting.
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