Sanjuro
1962 · Movie · NR · 96 min · ★ 8.0 · 92% critics
A wandering samurai returns to help a group of young warriors challenge corruption tied to their clan. As their mission unfolds, local power struggles and tricky tactics pull them deeper into danger, forcing them to rethink what it means to be a proper warrior.
Where to watch
Streaming on Kanopy and The Criterion Channel — or rent from $3.99.
2 hours to watch.
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Details
- Original title
- 椿三十郎
- Years
- 1962
- Release date
- 1962-01-01
- Language
- Japanese
- Rated
- NR
- Runtime
- 96 min
- Critic score
- 92/100
- TMDB rating
- 8.0/10 (719 votes)
About
You’ll likely enjoy Sanjuro if you want a light-hearted, strategy-driven samurai tale with plenty of humor and action; Not for you if you prefer straightforward heroics over tricky tactics or want a film as serious as Seven Samurai or Throne of Blood.
Pros: sharp, witty adventure; strong lead performance; engaging clan politics | Cons: uneven pacing; sometimes implausible turns; limited character focus
Themes
- japan
- samurai
- corruption
- temple
- fighter
- black and white
- jidaigeki
- edo period
- feudal japan
- bakumatsu
Cast & crew
Toshirō Mifune
as Sanjûrô Tsubaki / The ronin
Tatsuya Nakadai
as Hanbei Muroto
Keiju Kobayashi
as The Spy
Yūzō Kayama
as Iori Izaka
Reiko Dan
as Chidori, Mutsuta's daughter
Takashi Shimura
as Kurofuji
Kamatari Fujiwara
as Takebayashi
Takako Irie
as Mutsuta's wife
Masao Shimizu
as Kikui
Yūnosuke Itō
as Mutsuta, the Chamberlain
Directed by Akira Kurosawa