A great villain

I’m surprised that none of the reviews or comments for this film mention Tatsuya Nakadai’s great turn as Unosuke, the gun-toting youngest brother of *beep* Who could forget the pistol lurking in the striped kimono, the bizarre tartan scarf and the sociopathic smirk? Unosuke is a vain, sneering, petulant young punk who also happens to be almost as smart as the hero. Without him, things are just too easy for Sanjuro.

Kurosawa told Nakadai that Mifune’s character and his were like a stray dog and a snake, like cotton and silk. It’s a wonderful image for Nakadai, that most supple and multi-faceted, delicate and durable of Japanese actors.