YOJIMBO / SANJURO: TWO SAMURAI FILMS BY AKIRA KUROSAWA 4K Review: Pristine Perfection

'I just woke up. I'm in a bad mood.'

Yojimbo / Sanjuro: Two Samurai Films By Akira Kurosawa
Now available in two separate editions from The Criterion Collection: 4K+ Blu-ray (four discs) and Blu-ray only (two discs).

In Yojimbo, Toshiro Mifune saunters into town, his shoulder twitching, and assesses the situation.

In Sanjuro, Toshiro Mifune comes out of the closet (literally).

Both are grand entrances, befitting Sanjuro, the boisterous samurai who dominates both pictures, even when he's beaten senseless (in the first) or tied up (in the second). In Yojimbo, two gangs are improbably fighting for control of a tiny village, allowing Sanjuro to leverage their enmity against each for his own pleasure. In Sanjuro, the wandering samurai empowers a loony, incompetent band of nine samurai so they can defeat their enemy.

Both energizing films feature incredibly well-staged fights, tussles, and deadly sword battles, though to call Sanjuro's sword fights a "battle" would be a misnomer, since they're more like "one slash and done," especially in Sanjuro, originally called Pleasant Days before Kurosawa transformed it into a sequel at the request of Toho, as a result of the international success of Yojimbo.

In their latest edition, The Criterion Collection presents both films in 4K digital restorations, and they look astounding. What I love most about good black and white films in 4K is the startling degree of details, the complete absence of color in the blacks, and the lovely shades of grays and whites.

Criterion certainly delivers all that and more. I was apprehensive, as always, but quickly became delighted and distracted by the visuals in two films that I've seen before, more than once.

Because they have a stockpile of features from past releases, Criterion tends to focus on the 4K transfers, which is the strength of the new edition and reason enough to buy, especially for those of us who don't have any past editions.

The special edition features include audio commentaries by scholar Stephen Prince -- one for each film -- and a "making of" documentary, Akira Kurosawa: It is Wonderful to Create from the Toho MasterworksYojimbo disc, about 45 minutes are devoted to the film, with numerous interviews with cast and crew members; on the Sanjuro disc, about 35 minutes are included.

The doc goes into great detail on specific, well-known sequences -- how they were thought up, how they were created, how they were performed -- along with many comments on Kurosawa's commanding, demanding, inquisitive, and open style of directing, which endeared him to all the participants.

For each film, a teaser and a theatrical trailer are included, along with a stills gallery. Each film also gets a printed booklet -- not a fold-out, thankfully -- with essays by Alexander Sosonske and Michael Sragow on Yojimbo and Sanjuro, respectively. Each booklet also includes interviews with Kurosawa's collaborators.

All the contents are housed in a handsome box. All in all, this is a fantastic package, and comes highly recommended from this reviewer.

(Note: both trailers below are from 15 years ago. The new transfers look far better.)