Seven Samurai is one of the most emotionally satisfying action movies you'll ever see. The characters are so well drawn and the situation is played for maximum drama that pays off beautifully. And Kurosawa, of course, set the standard for cinematic action at that time.

I agree with this.

Yojimbo's the coolest, though.

And also with this.

Which of the Kurosawa's is the version of (I think) Bad Day at Black Rock or (I think, it has Bruce Willis) Last Man Standing. I suck at titles, I just say, "You know, the one they've remade all over the place, with the guy who plays two gangs against each other."

Yojimbo was an unofficial version of Red Harvest, by Hammett. Sergio Leone unofficially remade it as A Fistful of Dollars. The Bruce Willis film (by Walter Hill I think) was also a version, though I think it might have credited Red Harvest as its source.

Upon catching a few minutes of Die Hard the other night, I noticed that they took the scene with the bad dude shooting at Bruce Willis as he scurried under a table directly from Yojimbo.

So what is the story of Bad Day at Black Rock? The one with Spencer Tracy? I could swear there was an identical scene of scrubland and bad guys standing beside their cars waiting for the first move to shoot each other.

I may be conflating a lot of movies.

Yojimbo and Seven Samurai were the first two dvds I ever bought. Two of my top ten of all time movies. Yojimbo often trades places with The Bicyle Thief for first place, depending on my mood (which changes daily).

Sometimes when I am feeling melancholy, Casablanca is first. And when I'm feeling caustic and hopeless, Network is first.

Side note: "melancholy" looks very weird no matter how I spell it.

Network would be a whole lot less depressing if it all didn't come true.

Network would be a whole lot less depressing if it all didn't come true.

Right?!

So what is the story of Bad Day at Black Rock?

Spencer Tracy is a war vet with one arm - but he knows karate so don't fuck with him!

The town is corrupt - somebody got lynched? - something like that and he goes to investigate.

But he has karate and chops people left and right. With his one arm.

Derek Strange says that a lot. Like when Quinn finds him all moody and grunting, he'll say "Bad day at Black Rock, Terry." and I'm a moron for not understanding it's a reference as my man George does love his old Westerns.

Kurosawa is so fucking awesome.

I don't think I've ever watched one all the way through.