Akihiko Hirata, Kamatari Fujiwara, Keiju Kobayashi

A samurai drifter teams up with eight young fighters to fight against evil warlords.

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94% liked it

8,978 ratings

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100% liked it

13 critics

PG-13, 1 hr. 36 min.

Directed by: Akira Kurosawa

Release Date: January 1, 1962

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DVD Release Date: September 28, 1999

Stats: 610 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (610)


  • January 11, 2009
    Akira Kurosawa is probably the best Director in the entire History of film-making. He has not been that prolific given the amount of time he has spent making films, but many of these have subsequently been remade - Seven Samurai became the magnificent seven. Yoijimbo (the prequel...( read more) to this one) became A fistful of dollars - and more recently last man standing. The hidden Fortress became Star Wars. Sanjuro marked the return of Toshiro Mifune as the Sardonic Ronin from Yoijimbo. Yet again, the photography is excellent - the period costumes and buildings beautiful to look at even in black and white. From one of the first scenes, in the grounds outside the Shrine, Mifune shows a 500% improvement in the art of Kenjutso - he must have been practicing night and day! But it is the character of Sanjuro itself that makes the film so absorbing. He is on the surface, a dirty, disrespectful abrasive man - but his deeds portray him as a hero - someone who once was a shining example of a Samurai and despite being put through the ringer still holds to a deeply rooted code of honor. When this shows however, he is most anxious to cover it up again..... The film involves a power struggle within a small city in Japan between the old faction and the new power-hungry one. It deals with false perceptions and truth. Two of the tenets that are at the heart of Kurosawa's films. This is a Gem - rent it - if you can, Buy it!

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  • June 13, 2008
    i enjoyed this as much as yojimbo. it's a whole lot of fun. mifune is born to play comedy i think. such a ham but you can't take your eyes off him
  • April 5, 2008
    Personally this is my favorite Kurosawa movie. The Sanjuro character is so darn funny and so good at tearing people a new one he's hard not to like.
  • January 27, 2008
    A good film. I am always delighted to see Mifume and all the other well known faces of Kurosawa's flix. Also I must say that despite a few scenes I deeply enjoyed, I was not totally convinced.
    The character and the film in general lacks a form of gravity (tens of men are killed ...( read more)in 90 minutes or so). A tiny bit too commercial for my taste.
  • January 7, 2008
    This is going to sound repetitive but yeah, good fun, but not as solid as Yojimbo. Also, Tatsuya Nakadai looks more bad-ass with hair than without. Mifune as always shines in the role of the sarcastic loner, damn, Japanese cinema seriously has no more actors like him or like Tats...( read more)uya Nakadai. With some exceptions, these days it's all about teen idols that look like 12 year olds.
  • September 11, 2009
    Review coming someday...

    100/100
  • August 2, 2009
    Not as good as Yojimbo.
  • July 12, 2009
    It may be lighter in tone, a little funnier, and not as good as its predecessor Yojimbo, but Sanjuro is still a very good and highly entertaining film. Parts of it seem a little muddled, but all in all, it's a fun samurai film with a great message and cool characters. I've seen 4...( read more) of Kurosawa's films now, and none of them have missed the mark. It's a shame that there aren't really any more directors like him or films like his being made in this day and age.
  • June 30, 2009
    Mifune is once again awesome as "Sanjuro". I prefer the tone of Sanjuro over Yojimbo, which is a bit more serious.
  • June 30, 2009
    Another great acting by Mifune. Well done Kurosawa for the plot and mischiefs. Mideaval Japan is trully an interesting age.

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Sanjuro Trivia


  • What famous Japanese director directed The Seven Samurai, Rashomon, Sanjuro and The Hidden Fortress?  Answer »
  • Which actor appeared in all five of these "Samurai Cinema" classics; "Yojimbo", Samurai Rebellion", "Sword of Doom" "Sanjuro", and "Harakiri"?   Answer »

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