Day 31: "Sanjuro"

Director: Akira Kurosawa 1962
A sequel of sorts to "Yojimbo" with Toshiro Mifune playing the same raggedy, cunning, wandering samurai. This time he befriends a group of young, naive, would-be warriors. Kurosawa is clearly in a playful mood in some scenes, but quickly moves to deadly seriousness when Mifune starts carving up the opposition. The final scene--a literal showdown between Mifune and an equally experienced samurai--remains shocking in its violence. Not as great as "The Seven Samurai" or "Yojimbo," but, hey, it's still Kurosawa and Mifune and flashing swords. What's not to like?