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The film creates a perfect balance between action and depth of basic needs, in the midst of an infertile atmosphere.

It really made me laugh, but for some moments I was tearing up because I could relate so much.

The film may be flawed, but its message is not.

The movie's not perfect, but it sticks the landing of its message. It was engaging - thrilling at times - and I personally thought it was a great time.

SANJURO is action drama and it is a sequel to Kurosawa's 1961 YOJIMBO.Nine young samurai has decided to oppose corruption in their clan. A nephew of a lord chamberlain is among them. His uncle tore up their petition against organized crime and argued that maybe he himself was behind the crimes. Young men are confused. A ronin has overheard their plans and decided to help them. Initially, the samurai want to fight, but the odds are overwhelming, so the ronin hides the samurai, confronts and hits a few of the attackers and bluffs their leader into leaving. The grateful samurai ask what they can do for the ronin and he asks for only a small amount of money to buy food because he is starving. However, a chamberlain who can help expose them is kidnapped and his wife and daughter are imprisoned in the house...Mr. Kurosawa did not offer a kind of wild samurai action in this movie. The harmonic plots are open at the beginning of the film. A crafty and satirical game comes after that. An experienced samurai has fallen into a very strange society and a corrupt political situation. Unlike Yojimbo, this movie is a bit frivolous and far more fun. Yojimbo is, with all segments, much better film.The characters are impatient, outraged and unprofessional. Such relations provide a whole new dimension to the familiar story. Women are a calming factor in this film.A mixture of pictures and sounds is excellent. Characterization is good, with one major flaw, because all the procedures are, more or less, predictable and a bit theatrical.Toshiro Mifune as Sanjuro Tsubaki is just perfect for this role. That combination of a laziness and craftiness, satire and tradition in his character is simply amazing. He is kind of a hero that other protagonists in this film need and deserve.The glory of ancient samurai comes to the fore at the end of the film.

This is the sequel to 'Yojimbo'. Toshirô Mifune returns as the wandering ronin Sanjûrô Tsubaki. He encounters nine naive samurai who wants to confront corruption. One of the samurai had confronted his uncle the lord with the accusations. The response was dissatisfying so he tells the superintendent. The superintendent tells the nephew to gather his men. The ronin immediately smells a trap, and the corrupt superintendent launches a raid on the group. Only the ronin's smarts saves the group. Now the uncle and his family are taken prisoner and the ronin endeavors to rescue them with the help of the nine naive samurai. Only the clueless nine are sometimes more problematic with their distrust of the often napping ronin.This is a funnier movie than Yojimbo. Sanjuro does battle more with his brains than with his sword. The best swords are kept in their sheaths. However there is that great scene of drawing of the swords at the end. The guy imprisoned in the closet has a good funny scene. It's a very good sequel to Yojimbo with a funnier tone.

I do love Akira Kurasawa's movies, especially Seven Samurai, Ran, Ikiru, Rashomon, Yojimbo, The Hidden Fortress and Throne of Blood. Sanjuro(sequel to Yojimbo) is not quite on the same level, but it is a fine film regardless and perhaps alongside The Hidden Fortress Kurasawa's most accessible film. It is very well made, with beautiful and sometimes epic scenery and superb camera work. Kurasawa directs with his usual flair, not as delicate as Ikiru, haunting as Yojimbo or as ambitious as Ran, but still highly impressive. The score is lively, the story is engaging, crisply-paced and always fun and the script is witty and tongue-in-cheek yet with a subtle edge. The characters are somewhat one-dimensional and not quite as identifiable as the titular character in Ikiru but still likable nonetheless, and Toshiro Mifune's lead performance is a very subtly fun one indeed. Overall, a great film but not my favourite from Kurasawa. 9/10 Bethany Cox

At around the start of 2011,I did a small list of the top 3 directors whose films I wanted to take a good look at during the year.And whilst I got round to seeing some of the fantastic work from two of the directors (Alfred Hitchcock and Dario Argento),the third member of the group,Akira Kurosawa sadly got left behind at the "directors bar",due to me spending most of the year on a "Giallo treasure hunt".As 2011 started to fade from view,I decided that my New Years Revalution would be to finally pick up Akiria from the wilderness,and at last begin to look at the directors work.To my complete surprise,one of the four DVDs that I kindly received as X-Mas gifts was the Kurosawa film Sanjuro,and with the movie being one of Akira's shortest films,I felt that this would probably be the best intro for me to take my first glimpse at Kurosawa's dreams...The plot:Shortly after drinking a little too much sake,a young group of samurai's begin to discuss a growing fear that they have all been having ,over the uncle of the gangs leader (Iori Izaka) possibly betraying them all and going over to a gang filled with an "older" generation of Samurai,which this young group has recently splintered from,due to each of them feeling that the older group of samurai's were starting to become deeply corrupt.Talking to the rest of them,leader Izaka announces that since having spoken to the by-partisan superintend Kikui ,he has reached the conclusion that since his uncle has shown no signs of disapproval against the other group,he strongly feels that his uncle has turned against them,and that he may be acting as a spy for the other gang. As all of the group prepare to meet the superintend for advice over what they should do about the "betraying" uncle,a world-wary samurai suddenly appears from out of the shadows.Disgusted by his cheap looking clothes and the aggressive manner that the mysterious samurai shows towards them.the group initially treat the stranger as untrustworthy,until he begins telling them that they should maybe not treat Kikui as someone who has the gang (and their uncles) best interest at heart…View on the film:The first thing about this wonderful film,which I feel deserves a huge amount of praise is the performance of Toshiro Mifune as Sanjuro Tasubaki.Almost from the first moment that Mifune enters the film,director Akira Kurosawa makes him the main image that keeps the audience completely transfixed,as Toshiro brilliantly shows Sanjuro Tasubaki to be a rugged man who has lived through many battles,yet still has the sly fox-like wit and intelligence's that helps him to leave gangs of more "respected" samurai's completely dumbfounded.Whilst Mifune does take centre stage in the film,the performances from the rest of the cast are defiantly ones that should not be over looked,with the under rated Yuzo Kayama giving a very good performance as the young samurai's leader Lori Izaka,who mixes the character's pompous,pedestal- dreaming leadership side,with a terrific dry (unknowing) comedy side, that makes the films unexpected comedic moments a true joy to watch.With having been given the impression from articles that I have read in the past about Kurosawa films being very stern and serious, I was shocked to find that for the screenplay to this film (co-written,with Ryuzo Kikushima and Hideo Oguni) which is based on the novel Peaceful Days by Yamamoto Shugoro,Akira allows himself to show a very endearing fun side,by having the screenplay's "message" of not judging people on their age and appearance being delivered,not with a sledgehammer,but with a thoughtful,measured touch,that really makes the films story resonate with the viewer long after the end credits.Whilst the film's screenplay is not the most complex ever written,Kurosawa's brilliant,cleverly constructed directing makes the film an extremely entrancing watch.In the first half of the film,Akira uses the frame to show a separation that the young samurai group have with this "outsider" over his appearance,by using the widescreen format in the best way possible with a "separation" shown between Sanjuro and the group,with Sanjuro being kept at the front of the frame,and the young gang being kept in the foreground as one solid group.Along with showing the relationship between the different generations,Kurosawa also executes the films wonderful visual comedy moments with a unexpected comedy pro touch.Looking at one of the most eye-catching moments in the film,Kurosawa smartly uses the image of a centipede to show a comedy side of everyone sticking together and not having what a clue to do,whilst also using it for the films more serious side,by using the image to show the young samurai's gradually leaving their prejudices against Sanjuro behind,as he becomes the front of the centipede and the only thing which is keeping this bickering "centipede" together.