Yojimbo

Japan/1961 — directed by Akira Kurosawa | 110 min.

With the opening shots of Kurosawa’s visually stunning and darkly comic Yojimbo (Bodyguard), Toshiro Mifune cemented his place as one of the world’s most beloved movie stars. 

Wandering into a town consumed by chaos due to violence between two ruthless clans of would-be warriors, masterless samurai Sanjuro (Mifune) cleverly turns the war to his advantage, agreeing to sell his deadly skills to both sides—without the other knowing, of course. 

Later remade by Sergio Leone as A Fistful of Dollars, Kurosawa’s exhilarating and subversive action epic remains one of the most influential and entertaining films of all time. 

This new 4K restoration of Yojimbo is presented as part of the DFT’s Kurosawa Restored festival, continuing through August 31.

"A glorious comedy-satire of force, explosively comic and exhilarating." —Pauline Kael, I Lost It at the Movies