Sally Jane Black’s review published on Letterboxd:
This review may contain spoilers.
There are three moments in this film that stand out as particularly noteworthy. The first is the infamous fountain of blood that caps the film off (I won't say whose blood), a trope that seems to have flourished in anime. Seeing it here emphasizes how this film is, despite its comedic asides and occasionally dramatic tone, is really just a very well directed action movie. It isn't all flash (though the flash it has is superlative), but the depth it has isn't really that much more than most action flicks. It occasionally feels weightier because it's so well executed, however. Codes of honor and political corruption are well trod tropes, but Mifune's presence and Kurosawa's ability to tell a story make them seem more than that.
The second is the opening sequence, with Mifune thinking two steps ahead of the bad guys and the good guys at once. It's a bit funny, it's a bit cool. It's another scene that feels like it should be a mediocre bit of exposition, but in this case, it's too much fun to feel awkward. Mifune's showing up both sides at once, playing the good guys and bad guys without trying. He's just doing what he's going to do. It doesn't spell it out, but his anonymous past suggests that part of the reason why is because he's got as much bad guy in him as good.
And the third scene is Mifune taking on all of the guards while the four samurai are tied up, which is merely awesome combat in a fairly great action film.
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