MovieChat Forums > Buchanan Rides Alone (1958) Discussion > Connections with YOJIMBO, A FISTFUL OF D...

Connections with YOJIMBO, A FISTFUL OF DOLLARS, THE LAST MAN STANDING ++

posted 18 years ago by rongreen2
2 replies | jump to latest

It's been probably 20 years since I saw Buchanan Rides Alone, so my memory of it is hazy. But isn't the premise of the story one that was used by Akira Kurosawa for Yojimbo, then borrowed by Sergio Leone for A Fistful of Dollars, then recycled by Walter Hill for The Last Man Standing, and reconstituted again by Jason Smilovic and Paul McGuigan in Lucky Number Slevin? Most folks point to Dashiell Hammett's novel Red Harvest as the prototype of the "lone warrior gets two rival gangs to destroy each other, and emerges as sole survivor" story. Does Buchanan Rides Alone fit this model, and is it the first film version?

[–] anthony-sutcliffe 17 years ago

Hi Rongreen!
I just watched this film yesterday. I would say that while I can see similarities between the films you mentioned, I wouldn't say that this film is a forerunner for Yojimbo. In this, Buchanan arrives in town and gets caught up in a murder and is stuck in jail. His aim throughout is to escape and then get his money back from the sheriff, one of the two powerbases, rather than any plan to turn the two sides against each other. The Sheriff’s brother, the Judge, is the other powerbase and their rivalry is behind the scenes rather than that of two publicly rival gangs. At no point does Buchanon work for either side in the conflict - let alone switch sides - so as I say, I think it would be a stretch to call this the model for the other films you mentioned. Cheers!

[–] sockscats 13 years ago

I agree it was not 2 rival gangs it was about 2 brothers and the major flaws as human beings. A son of one and the nephew of another is killed and neither really care. They just want to see what they can get from it.

I'm surprised all the men in town not named Agry are so anxious to hang the Mexican guy who killed Roy Agry. If i lived in that town i would want to shake the guys hand.

And as beren said Buchanon never sides with either of these guys.