45s and no slouch with the babes besides. Willis plays John Smith, a humorless man - “I was born without a conscience,” he says, ever so portentously - who, nevertheless, is both a crack shot with his twin. The difference is also evident in the characterizations of the respective protagonists. “Yojimbo” uses violence as a fencing master would, dispensing moments of deadly imagery (a dog gripping a dismembered hand in its mouth) instead of mere mass bloodletting “Last Man Standing,” meanwhile, is one long death dance of bloody bodies gyrating to the tune of rapid gunfire. Whereas “Yojimbo” crackles with humor, “Last Man Standing” is deadly serious. Even if he has changed the setting from a Japanese village to a Texas town near the Mexican border, Hill retains most of Kurosawa-Kikushima’s specific plot points. In terms of the storyline, at least, Hill’s version is a faithful adaptation. So why would I want to see this film again? Because it is a stirring effort by one of the world’s great directors, and because it is so superior to the version directed by Walter Hill. Only problem is that Sanjuro, a scruffy street type with the ethics of a philosopher king, quickly decides that neither side is trustworthy enough to work for.Īnd so he plays both off against the other, ultimately settles the issue and - like the cowboy hero he so resembles - ends up walking off into the sunset. Warring clans are struggling for dominance, and each wants the powerful swordsman on their side. In “Yojimbo,” the work is profitable, if dangerous. He eats, drinks and sleeps where he can find work - or at least a kind benefactor. To make a living, then, Sanjuro walks the backroads, letting fate choose the direction he will follow. Changing attitudes, however, have caused a decline in samurai status, and so many - like Kurosawa’s protagonist, Sanjuro - find themselves without a regular paycheck. ![]() “Yojimbo,” which is the Japanese word for bodyguard, is set in 1860 and tells the story of a wandering samurai, a member of the warrior caste that emerged as a respected part of Japanese society in the 12th century. Hill, you see, is the man responsible for Bruce Willis’ latest theatrical vehicle “Last Man Standing.” As writer-director, Hill based his story on “Yojimbo,” which was written by Kurosawa and Ryuzo Kikushima. Why, you may ask, was I interested in renting a film that is 35 years old? Good question, to which there are two answers - and they both involve the American filmmaker Walter Hill. It took me all of four phone calls, but I managed easily enough to track down an available video copy of Akira Kurosawa’s 1961 samurai film “Yojimbo” (at the Hastings outlet on east Sprague).
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