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Akira Kurosawa is considered one of the most influential filmmakers of all time and now two of his best films, Yojimbo and Sanjuro, are finally available in a 4K Blu-ray Criterion Collection set. Even better, the 4K collection is discounted to just $56 (was $80). It’s unclear how long the price cut will stick around, so if you’re interested in adding two of Kurosawa’s most celebrated movies to your home theater, it’s worth grabbing the set soon.
$57 (was $80)
Yojimbo tells the story of Sanjuro, a masterless samurai attempting to rid a village of corruption. He does this by convincing two rival parties to recruit him as a bodyguard–only to later trigger a gang war between them in an attempt to destroy their stranglehold on the town. Yojimbo is followed by the companion movie, Sanjuro, which sees the samurai helping a young group of warriors remove evil influences from within their clan. Both earned high praise from viewers and critics–and now that they’re available in 4K, this collection is the best way to enjoy them in 2025. A standard Blu-ray edition is also available for just $44.42 (was $70).
Yojimbo / Sanjuro Special Features
Along with the two movies, this bundle is packed with extra features. Highlights include audio commentaries by Stephen Prince, a Kurosawa scholar, and documentaries on the making of both films. Note that most of these bonus features are offered in standard Blu-ray.
- 4K digital restorations, with uncompressed monaural soundtracks
- Two 4K UHD discs of the films and two Blu-rays with the films and special features
- Optional DTS-HD Master Audio Perspecta 3.0 soundtracks, preserving the original simulated stereo effects
- Audio commentaries by Kurosawa scholar Stephen Prince
- Documentaries on the making of Yojimbo and Sanjuro
- Teasers and trailers
- Stills galleries of behind-the-scenes photos
- Essays by film writers Alexander Sesonske and Michael Sragow
- Comments from Kurosawa and members of his casts and crews
If you’re interested in adding more Kurosawa films to your home theater, take a look at some of the other movies in the Criterion catalog, many of which are also on sale at Amazon. The deals include several more of Kurosawa’s iconic samurai films, such as Kagemusha for $27 ($40), Roshamon for $37 (was $40), and Seven Samurai, which is available in 4K for $49.49 (was $60) or standard Blu-ray for $32.87 (was $50). It’s also worth noting the Studio Canal Blu-ray edition of Kurosawa’s Ran is on sale for $17 (was $20). Check out a list of more Kurosawa Blu-ray deals below.
Fans of Kurosawa’s films will likely also be interested in The Samurai Trilogy from Criterion Collection, which includes three classic samurai films from director Hiroshi Inagaki, and is on sale for just $61 (was $70).
