Yojimbo - The villainy of heroism | Video Essay 

Good comments and well put together. I disagree that he’s a bad guy even at the beginning, though. He’s simply looking for work. Note that when he arrives at the house at the beginning (with the young man who wants to be a gambler whom he spares the life of at the end), he tells the father he would like some water first and causes no trouble. He doesn’t swindle or threaten Gonji at the beginning, just says that he’s broke and will find a way to pay him. Then when he understands the town, he says “I get paid to kill” but then notes that both bands of gangsters are bad guys who deserve it. He may not be as _active_ of a good guy before he sees the woman separated from her child by Ushitora’s gang, but I don’t think he can reasonably be called a _bad_ guy. I don’t think he’s forgotten his morals; he just doesn’t have any particular cause to fight for initially. It’s not so much “bad guy returns to good” as “off-duty good guy gets back to work.” Still, well done and I enjoyed your take. Cheers.

I don't think he changed because of the injustice done to the peasant woman. He just revealed his true nature.

I can get his “ devil may care” attitude. He’s a ronin. An out of work samurai who has to find his living by any means necessary. He’s probably a little disillusioned by the system that he thought he could count on before he became a ronin

I've always prefered Sanjuro over Yojimbo but hell, the two are still one of my favourite duologies beside Terminator 1 & 2.

I really enjoyed that, been searching for a variety of video essays recently and your channel popped up, thanks!

Wonderful essay on the truth of the times. Akira Kurosawa is a master at his art.

Just watched this movie, loved it

I just discovered your channel with La Haine video and I really liked it. Now thanks to you I know about Kurosawa. Thank you :) PS: There is a mistake in the video description mentioning La Haine

This movie is amazing, thanks for the analysis. That being said, it's kind of messed up to refer to a woman being imprisoned and repeatedly sexual assaulted as "forced adultery." She wasn't forced to *cheat* on her husband. Being sexually assaulted isn't *cheating*. Please be more mindful of how you talk about violence against women in future videos.

Sanjiro is what the West would call a "Anti-Hero", for he is willing to do evil for a good cause, and walk away with the guilt of it all.

Nice work essay guy.

Really interesting film, definitely gonna watch this.

Its all about goodness flaws. Goodness is exploited by evil. Goodness prevails in good times and rots because: ppl exploit it, stop respecting & defending it ; it makes ppl forget evil in them & in general; makes ppl weak, rots & brings evil times. In evil times goodness is suckery. Goodness to survive starts to learn evil ways & recognising it. Then knowing disease creates a sour cure. You cant win knife with a flower. To kill a killer you need a killer killer. That's the paradox. Good times make weak men weak men create bad times bad times create strong men strong men make good times. In evil time good fights with evil way. In good time evil uses good to serve evil. Dogs gets wolves, wolves gets sheep, sheep (pacifists) gets dogs. And often you become what you attack because of to long using its ways.

Now at 39 years old I am finally learning why Usagi-Yojimbo was and still is my favorite teenage mutant ninja turtle character. Bravo.

throne of blood is my favourite, a beautiful retelling of macbeth

I loved this movie

Whaaaaaatttt????? fkn 1961!!!!!!!!??????? pfffff... i thought it was one of them new movies, just being shot in black and white to enhance the mood, a bit like "sin city". like 2012 or something... my head is blown clean of my shoulders. old is great

I think they're called Chanbara movies.

Tishiro Mifune and Lee Marvin were best friends.

Martinez Eric Martin Michael Anderson John

For A Fistful of Dollars is not an American film, besides it's much more likely to be a rip-off (an excellent one, but a rip-off nonetheless). Good vid otherwise