Yojimbo

Akira Kurosawa knew how to tell stories that last. The simple story of a ronin (Toshirō Mifune) wandering into a small town and causing chaos to solve a larger problem has been remade, adapted, and inspired dozens (if not hundreds) of projects over the years from spaghetti westerns to samurai science fiction. My favorite, however, has always been Stan Sakai's Usagi Yojimbo which owes much to Kurosawa's tale.

The film opens with a samurai with no name, who at one point jokingly refers to himself as Sanjuro Kuwabatake (Mifune), and his arrival in an unnamed town griped by the gambling trade and two warring bosses (Seizaburo Kawazu and Kyū Sazanka). Presenting himself as a highly-skilled mercenary available for the highest bidder, our ronin flames the rivalry between both sides driving them to war, often taking advantage of the gullibility of the mercenaries and henchmen.

Not all of Sanjuro's schemes go to plan (leading him to be beaten and captured after his machinations are discovered), but enough do to force the two sides to whittle down each others' numbers and allow the wounded, but still unstoppable, samurai to deal with what's left.

Inspired by the Dashiell Hammett noir detective stories, Kurosawa incorporated the hero's tale into 1860 Japan at the end of the Edo period while pulling in themes from various genres including comedy and satire, along with Westerns and samurai films. A thinking man's action-comedy, Yojimbo delivered something for everyone and became a staple of storytelling ever since. The film has been released multiple times on home video, often paired with its sequel Sanjuro.

• Title: Yojimbo
• IMDb: link