yojimbo film poster

yojimbo
Originally uploaded by Tobias Yarwood.

• Later remade into the western Per un pugno di dollari (1964) or "A Fist Full of Dollars" (1964) with Clint Eastwood.

• "Yojimbo" is an uncredited film version of Dashiell Hammett's novel "Red Harvest". "Red Harvest" is about a detective who comes to a small city and sets two sides of a gang war against one another until both are almost completely wiped out.

• Tatsuya Nakadai, who plays the flamboyant, pistol-waving Unosuke here, also plays the main villain role in the Yojimbo sequel, Tsubaki Sanjûrô (1962).

• "Yojimbo" means "bodyguard" in Japanese.

• Based on the novel "Red Harvest". George Lucas, a known Kurosawa fan, filmed Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983) under the false name "Blue Harvest" to maintain secrecy and to make an inside reference to his favorite director, Akira Kurosawa.