yojimbo review

I'd like to start this review off with a question, what is the epiphany of cool? Can movies be cool? Yes but to be the ubermost in coolness (for me at least) a film has to WOW me; burning a lasting imprint of story as well as entertainment. When I was younger it was the "ROCKY" films then came "PULP FICTION" and finally "SIN CITY". This movie came in as a close second....yes it was entertaining as hell but didn't leave a lasting impression at least not in that " cool" way. What came as a shock to me was the uncanny mimicry of another classic film " FISTFUL OF DOLLARS" and a hasty check of who ripped off who. Imagine my surprise when I found out that said story is taken from an American story, turned into Japanese film and then ripped off by an Italian. So, in summary both these directors didn't have an original bone between them, convenient that the writer died in 1961 when yojimbo was released but to be copied almost scene for scene by Leone who got sued by Akira Kurosawa for his troubles. Lasting impressions it did leave with me but not as a cool movie...entertaining yes but with such a history, thank you but no thank you. Visually it is quite stunning but the history of how the story came to be was disappointing.