SPOILERS DOWN THE PATH; THE DISCUSSION BELOW WILL NOT BE COMPREHENSIVE WITHOUT IT.
TREAD CAREFULLY. YOU'VE BEEN WARNED.
THIS MOTION PICTURE IS OFFICIALLY AN AFFILIATE OF THE FILMMAKING PARAGONS.
Sanjuro is yet another Samurai epic that meets the high expectation of filmgoers walking into a Kurosawa-Mifune collaboration!
Legendary Toshiro Mifune plays an anonymous ronin who decides to help a group of youngsters fight against their corrupted lord chamberlain. This character has an amazing buildup from the jump! Each of his action tells us who he actually is. For example, he only takes the amount of money payment he needs. His solutions are always logical and witty. As perfect as his character may seem to be, Akira Kurosawa managed to supply him an arc to conquer. The constant push and pull he has with violence and peace after receiving advice from an elderly lady he rescues is a nice, unexpected touch. And no matter how much help the youngsters receive from the protagonist, there's a section of them who do not trust him, creating a strong and believable subconflict there too.
The writer-director is a genius when it comes to blocking (and everything else filmmaking)! The scenes are simple and highly interesting, with the guards interrogation, uncle-rescue plan and Komyo Temple hideout suggestion being examples. The enemies are clever and conflicts, solid. Colors and costumes are first class.
Sanjuro pretending to be part of the enemy by seeking a job from Muroto (Tatsuya Nakadai) and taking them out from within is exciting to watch! The super lethal and quick one-take sword-swings to rescue his captured allies is miraculous! Even the beginning where the main characters are completely surrounded by enemies with nowhere to escape is riveting! The final standoff between Sanjuro and Muroto is too goddamn powerful - the standstill is incredibly haunting and so full of tension!
"The best sword is kept in its sheath."