Akira Kurosawa's 1962 sequel to Yojimbo plays the action for sly laughs, Toshiro Mifune's gruff Ronin masterminding the shambolic actions of nine callow Samurai. Less famous than its predecessor (which was remade as A Fistful Of Dollars and Last Man Standing) but arguably superior, Sanjuro exhibits all of Kurosawa's formal beauty while parodying the conventions of the Japanese action film. Watch out for the jaw-crashing climax, too - - the sudden shift of tone comes like a cattle prod to the heart.
DVD Extras:
Text biogs of Kurosawa and Mifune plus a 15-minute intro by Repo Man helmer Alex Cox. Not nearly enough, then, but the Brit helmer's twitterings are worth a listen, taking us first through Kurosawa's life and career, then zooming in on Sanjuro itself.
