Sanjuro, review

Director - Akira Kurosawa

Writers- Ryûzô Kikushima (screenplay), Hideo Oguni

Toshirô Mifune - Sanjûrô Tsubaki / The Samurai

Tatsuya Nakadai - Hanbei Muroto

Keiju Kobayashi - The Spy

Yûzô Kayama - Iori Izaka

Reiko Dan - Chidori, Mutsuta's daughter

Takashi Shimura - Kurofuji

Kamatari Fujiwara - Takebayashi

Takako Irie - Mutsuta's wife

Masao Shimizu - Kikui

Yûnosuke Itô - Mutsuta, the Chamberlain

The story begins with a large group of men discussing the situation in their town, whilst the Ronin sleeps in the next room. The men decide that that they are to place their trust in the chamberlain, and the Ronin interjects. After hearing the entire story, he had decided that the chamberlain sounded untrustworthy.

Almost as if to prove his point, the chamberlain’s men attack the building in which the men had met. The Ronin managed to hide them and drive off and hide his newly found friends. Alongside the revelation of a new enemy, the group deduces that a man, uncle to one, was in danger. Thusly they decide to gather more information on what was going on.

They quickly find that the uncle, alongside his family, had been kidnapped. They turn a barn into their new headquarters, and decide upon a plan with which to get him back. Four among the group were to save his wife and child, while all others were to scout for the uncle himself. The destination for their reuniting would be the abode of one, right next to the house of an enemy.
The Ronin’s group is quickly successful. They get a servant woman to manipulate the internal situation so the guards would all be drunk. In the chaos, they slipped in and rescued the women with very few casualties. In mere moments, they get back to the barn and prepare to go to the meeting spot. As they rested, the elder of the two women remark about the Ronin’s ability, and that he should refrain from needlessly killing people.

They then make it to the meeting place, which they turn into their base of operations. Whilst there, they attempt a few operations to attain control of the situation, failing every time. It takes a while, but they eventually find that the man they had been looking for was in the building right next to their base.  The Ronin decided he would take advantage of some ties he had recently created to draw the forces within away, and would send a signal when he was successful in removing them.

His plan fails, however, due to a faulty story. He manages to remove the force from the house, but gets captured himself and is unable to send the signal to attack. Using a little creativity, he manages to trick the old men left behind into sending the signal for him, which triggers the attack, the saving of the uncle, and the ultimate undoing of the conspirator force.

Sam Glass: OK, great movie. Same character as Yojimbo.. but totally different story line

Divine_Malevolence: Totally. Though the feeling was similar.

Sam Glass: Yea, now I didn't understand in the beginning why they were talking in the circle.. their uncle hadn't been captured yet but he was in a dispute with the Sup?  why were they talking?

Divine_Malevolence: They were discussing their plans.

Sam Glass: for?

Divine_Malevolence: Meeting with the superintendent.

Sam Glass: .. and then our hero is sleeping in the next room... "outsiders can be good judges"

Divine_Malevolence: Verily. They were lucky he was there.

Sam Glass: Yea, and he knew the Sup was ugly.. and the Chamberlain was good looking - just from the story

Divine_Malevolence: @.@ Which one was which?

Sam Glass: Oh yea.. I have them backwards... the "good guy" uncle chamberlain is ugly and the "bad guy" Superintendent was good looking.. or so the sleeping samurai said.. and they agreed

Divine_Malevolence: Yup. Feelings based on appearance, s'foolish.

Sam Glass: but eerily.. the samurai knew it and hadn't seen them.. could tell from the story..."you'd never suspect who the worst ones are" was another quote

Divine_Malevolence: From the chamberlain, it was.

Sam Glass: So the group looks out to the Sup's men.. the samurai comes out - "Watch, you woke me up and I'm in a bad mood."

Divine_Malevolence: Knocks 'em around some, and gets 'em to back off.

Sam Glass: And Muroto offers him a job...

Divine_Malevolence: Very important point. But there he left it be and went back in to check on the guys.

Sam Glass: held it for later.. I was wondering if Muroto was following Sun Tsu.. splitting his enemy for this one battle.. or just trying to get a good guy for the future

Divine_Malevolence: He was looking for a future ally.

Sam Glass: yea,.. as we saw going on.. so now the group believes the samurai.. for now

Divine_Malevolence: For now. But who knows how long that'll last.

Sam Glass: yea.. they go to uncle/chamberlain's house and Sup's goons are there

Divine_Malevolence: They decide to rescue his family.

Sam Glass: yea.. another funny line.."can't move like this, like a centipede" as they followed him through the bushes

Divine_Malevolence: Because they were moving in a line. 'Twas exactly what I was thinkin'.

Sam Glass: And then they rescued the women.. what did u think about them?

Divine_Malevolence: Wise old lady. Like Yoda, except human.

Sam Glass: Yea.. but both were calm.. and kind of sensuous.. or is it sensual.. they both relished rolling in the hay when they wee trying to escape.. and seemed much more interested in relationships than winning any battle

Divine_Malevolence: They wished for things to remain calm.

Sam Glass: and non-violent.. but it seemed to contrast their plight.. or it made them more regal.. and made it easier to like them

Divine_Malevolence: Yup yup.

Sam Glass: what about the sword line.. the samurai is like a sword, sharp, naked, cuts well but best kept in its sheath...


Divine_Malevolence: Being overly violent isn't a good way to go about things. She assumed he'd just make things worse.

Sam Glass: yea.. and another sexual reference.. i tell you she wanted that dude

Divine_Malevolence: She was married.

Sam Glass: and...?

Divine_Malevolence: She didn't. Though he did make a joke himself.  "My name is thirty year old Camilla. But I'm nearing forty."

Sam Glass: i don't get it

Divine_Malevolence: "Tsubaki Sanjuro" turns into "Camilla thirty year old."

Sam Glass: ahh.. a flower of a guy!

Divine_Malevolence: He's very fluorescent.

Sam Glass: ah, yea.? another thing u might know.. those sticks that they bank throughout .. in the score.. it was what the time keeper did in Yojombo.. what is that about.. what are they called.. what are they made of. where can I get some?? do u know?

Divine_Malevolence: I've no idea......

Sam Glass: ok.. I’d like to know if you run across something.. back to the movie they set a trap for the group... with the palanquins

Divine_Malevolence: Palanquins?

Sam Glass: fake meeting.  yea

Divine_Malevolence: Palanquins.  Yes, the trap which they almost fell for.

Sam Glass: "Bait looks easy to get" the samurai says as he sleeps... they follow

Divine_Malevolence: Then the trap was snared upon the horse riding clansmen.

Sam Glass: then he goes to "accept" Muroto's job.. Muroto say the Sup is all lies but it is all to take control..

Divine_Malevolence: His plan was to aid the superintendent, until he could take the old guy out and seize power himself. 'Twas a good plan.

Sam Glass: yea... if evil is good?

Divine_Malevolence: Intelligent plan.

Sam Glass: OK, I'm with ya there.. then the group splits because some of them think the samurai has switched sides

Divine_Malevolence: And the people who were sent to spy on him got captured like morons.

Sam Glass: yea.. and he had to kill lots of the Sup's gang to rescue them.. and shames the group for "making him kill" - not what the Lady wanted

Divine_Malevolence: A bad situation to get placed in. He had to make it look like he got owned.

Sam Glass: Then he tied himself up, would you believe it if you were Muroto?

Divine_Malevolence: It'd seem reasonable enough. Smart people surrender if they can't win.

Sam Glass: And now back at the group he is addressing them sitting on a platform! More and more wise...



Divine_Malevolence: And then they find the chamberlain's location.

Sam Glass: yea.. from the blood stained note - they develop the camilla plan

Divine_Malevolence: Yup yup. Floating down the stream like a flower.

Sam Glass: so samurai goes back tells them story to lure away the army.. but is tied up when they figure out it is false

Divine_Malevolence: Still manages to get the army away.

Sam Glass: old guys left.. samurai brags they're finished..

Divine_Malevolence: Tells them a lie about white camillas preventing an attack.

Sam Glass: yea.. great trick.. and he is rescued!! good guys win!

Divine_Malevolence: All is well! Except for.... Muroto, was it?

Sam Glass: oh yea.. the signature end -what did u think about it?

Divine_Malevolence: Very quick, yet satisfying battle. Gotta figure it'd end like that if the sides weren't balanced.

Sam Glass: it went back to my mantra.. the samurai battle is about that one swing..

Divine_Malevolence: The drawing slash.

Sam Glass: what about the blood?- enough?

Divine_Malevolence: A bit much in my opinion.  It's good it was there, as it was rare otherwise. But...... Such a jet seems odd.

Sam Glass: dramatic.. not realistic.. but kind of fun.. i laughed.. it want with the comedic lines for me

Divine_Malevolence: Comedy is a grand form of art.

Sam Glass: overall.. what did u think of the movie.. better than Yojimbo?

Divine_Malevolence: Apples and oranges. I'd say they're about the same in their respective heaviness.

Sam Glass: heavinss? Both about injustice.. not as much about death and dying like some of the others.. Rashoman?

Divine_Malevolence: Yojimbo burned more things.

Sam Glass: lol..  ok next week Ran.. how are you on getting one?

Divine_Malevolence: Not too well. Difficult to find.

Sam Glass: seven samurai then?

Divine_Malevolence: Seven Samurai it is.

Yojimbo, review

Yojimbo

Director: Akira Kurosawa

Writers: Akira Kurosawa

Cast Toshirô Mifune - Sanjuro Kuwabatake / The Samurai

Tatsuya Nakadai - Unosuke, gunfighter

Yôko Tsukasa - Nui

Isuzu Yamada - Orin

Daisuke Katô -Inokichi, Ushitora's rotund brother

Seizaburô Kawazu -Seibei, brothel operator

Takashi Shimura - Tokuemon, sake brewer

Hiroshi Tachikawa - Yoichiro

Yosuke Natsuki - Kohei's Son

Eijirô Tôno - Gonji, tavern keeper

Kamatari Fujiwara - Tazaemon

Ikio Sawamura - Hansuke

Atsushi Watanabe - The Cooper (Coffin-Maker)

Susumu Fujita - Homma, instructor who skips town

Kyû Sazanka - Ushitora

Divine_Malevolence:  The story begins following a wandering samurai of name and origin unknown. He seems to have very little overall purpose, leaving his trailblazing up to fate by choosing his path with a stick. A small ways down the road, he stumbles upon a family, where the son is foolishly leaving to go join a gang.

Interested, the samurai ventures into the town. He is greeted by a corrupt officer, who tells him that good work is available in the form of being a bodyguard for either of the two warring gang like factions. Hardly interested in such a line of work, he instead enters a small establishment where he meets what would be one of very few allies.

This man tells him of the town, and the situation that they were in. Of how the former boss had died, leaving his son and his left hand man to fight over the position of power. The fact that they had been doing so left the town in a very poor state, where he worried about its continued survival. Finally interested, the samurai decided he would stay and put an end to the insanity.

He first went to the son, and hired himself out for fifty Ryo, attaining such a high price by killing three of the other faction’s members. Took twenty five before, and was promised twenty five after a job well done. The son later decided that even though he had agreed to such terms, it was a truly foolish thing to do, and he would later kill the samurai to keep his money. Unfortunately, he was overheard.

Later, when the son decided to instigate a battle with the new strength on his side. Once they took to the field, the samurai exclaimed he would not fight for a man who would later kill him, and took to merely watching it unfold. There was no actual fighting, as both sides were extremely cowardly, and it was broken up by news that an inspector was to inspect them.

The inspector’s arrival sparked a period of inactivity between the two factions. During this time, the samurai went about observing the life in the town, and the inspector. And during this time, his plot formed. Both sides decided they wished to purchase his aid, and both thus came simultaneously. He refused them both, and merely waited for the next piece of news.

News came in the form of a dead official a ways away, which was sure to draw the inspector away. On top of that, both sides were coming to some sort of forged peace, where they would reign together. The samurai, knowing that it was far too convenient for both sides, set out to investigate the drunken subordinates. One of those who worked under the previous boss’s left hand confessed to doing it for little over a Ryo, and was then captured and sold to the son’s faction.

Not at all satisfied at that, the samurai also went to the left hand and told him of the plight his subordinates were suffering. This caused the fragile truce to shatter, and the second faction took their own hostage to barter with. It came to a trade, where both sides took shots at each other in any way they could. In the end, the son’s own son was traded back for the second faction’s two assassins, and a woman known to be the wife of a villager.

Having seen the condition of this woman, the samurai hired himself to the second faction for sixty Ryo. He was accepted into their order, and used the opportunity to free the woman while further aggravating things between the two factions. They struck out continuously at each other, until the second faction heard news that the woman that was rescued had, indeed, been rescued. With only a small bit of excess evidence, they found it was the samurai and thusly imprisoned him.

But what type of warrior stays imprisoned? He broke out with a great deal of effort, and planted the story that he had fled into the protection of the son’s faction. The second faction took this as an opportunity to wipe out the first, and in the end didn’t find the samurai. His ally, the shop keeper, took him to a temple to get back to fighting strength so that he could later flee.

Of course, the shop keeper was then found and captured himself. This provoked the samurai to come back, while not fully recovered, to save his friend. A bloody and one sided battle ensued, the samurai standing victor over the remnants of the two factions who had plagued the town.

Sam Glass: awesome! u catch what yojimbo means?

Divine_Malevolence: I think it means bodyguard.

Sam Glass: ahh.. well he wasn't much of a body guard.. but the town was quiet when he was finished!

Divine_Malevolence: But I can't find anything, so I think it was made up for the movie.

Sam Glass: I think I read bodyguard somewhere

Divine_Malevolence: In the movie.

Sam Glass: yea.. so the samurai was ronin?

Divine_Malevolence: Yup. He had no master. And no real aim early on either.

Sam Glass: yea.. i liked the beginning where he threw up the stick to see which way he would wander

Divine_Malevolence: Yup yup. If it had pointed a different direction, none o' that would've happened.

Sam Glass: Yea. But what a town! Would it happen here? Two bosses divide the town? Or is it purely Japanese?

Divine_Malevolence: ?

Sam Glass: The feud was between the two sides... the restaurant owner said early on the problem was they both wanted to control the town.. kind of like the mafia I guess

Divine_Malevolence: Yup. Evil factions.

Sam Glass: Hired guns. I liked the time keeper... wonder if that was in all towns.. what was the wood about, u know?

Divine_Malevolence: The wood was to make a loud slapping noise. Like when the people play the bugle in the military.

Sam Glass: Yea.. but it was nice and crisp. What did u think about the shooter. He had an evil grin?

Divine_Malevolence: Cocky guy. Felt naked without his gun. I wonder what he was doing when he wasn't in town.

Sam Glass: Lol.. hired to someone else?.... I thought it was a lucky knife shot to bring him down..

Divine_Malevolence: At the beginning. He showed up halfway through.

Sam Glass: Yes.. but the scene where he fought the samurai.. at the end where they were walking towards each other down the street... and the wind was blowing... they were close and he was about to fire.... and then the samurai whips out the knife and gets the shooter in the forearm!

Divine_Malevolence: He practiced for that. And it was a nice throw.

Sam Glass: Yea, I'll say nice!

Divine_Malevolence: Who needs a gun when you have a dirty knife and a decent throw?

Sam Glass: Yea!! What about the rest of the samurai's fighting? Everyone else seemed unskilled.

Divine_Malevolence: Only when compared to the main character. He was a beast. All else pale in comparison.

Sam Glass: Fathead?

Divine_Malevolence: The slow younger brother?

Sam Glass: the giant with the hammer

Divine_Malevolence: Oh. He was brute force, not skill. Probably there to beat up prisoners.

Sam Glass: kind of dumb not to look in the trunk

Divine_Malevolence: Truly. But what more can one expect from gangsters?

Sam Glass: exactly...and the money? he gave 30 to the family of the rescued woman.. did he take any for himself?

Divine_Malevolence: Not a greedy ronin. He was a man of simple taste. Divine_Malevolence: Saving towns for food.

Sam Glass: yea.. and sake

Divine_Malevolence: Mighty fine life.

Sam Glass: yea.. but how can he face his struggles so calmly?

Divine_Malevolence: General apathy?

Sam Glass: facing death? it takes something to put your life on the line over and over.. after-all it only takes one cut and it would be over for him

Divine_Malevolence: He seems like he's lived a full life and wouldn't otherwise mind.

Sam Glass: The Bushido book I'm reading says every samurai should start and end each day visualizing all the various ways they could die...  burning, cut, drowned... exploded... would that make u calm?

Divine_Malevolence: If I had a way to prevent it.

Sam Glass: but they expect it.. i think that is the difference.. they were special.. and that is what made them calm.. their acceptance...

Divine_Malevolence: Yup yup.

Sam Glass: well.. what else did u like?

Divine_Malevolence: Cool shop keeper. "It's free, just get out."

Sam Glass: yea.. once he figured out the samurai was a good guy

Divine_Malevolence: At the beginning as well. Though once he saw a good idea he didn't think twice again.

Sam Glass: yea.. i see that. The coffin? Interesting design...

Divine_Malevolence: And they were going to take him out to bury him. Very interesting.

Sam Glass: power cycling here.. internet down again

Divine_Malevolence: Hello.  Say "Ninja"?

Sam Glass: Next week Rashoman?