Sanjuro
Director: Akira Kurosawa
Year Released: 1962
Rating: 3.0
Ro-nin Toshiro Mifune takes a group of honorable but callow young samurai under his supervision to take on a corrupt clan; their bumbling threatens all of their lives, and his attempt to teach them proper behavior is consistently undermined. Every shot is a postcard, and the composition is precise - the bodies and objects are exquisitely arranged - but it never draws attention to itself; the plot may lack credibility and finesse - it can not compare to Yojimbo, its predecessor - but that is only a minor liability. If anything, it proves that even half-assed Kurosawa is usually better than other directors' full-assed films.
