Yojimbo

This is one of the classic Akira Kurosawa samurai films of the early 60s. To anyone who has enjoyed the nearly scene-for-scene remake Fistful of Dollars (itself among the original "spaghetti westerns" from Sergio Leone, starring Clint Eastwood, and the first film in the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly trilogy), or the more recent Bruce Willis adaptation, Last ManStanding, this Ur-movie will be seriously amazing. The main character, played by Kurosawa standby Toshiro Mifune, has become a cultural icon thanks to the 70s SNL parody of the gritty, scruffy samurai in the John Belushi skit "Samurai Delicatessen."

This movie is essentially the platonic form of the samurai movie. While it lacks some of the depth and seriousness of other Kurosawa films, it more than makes up for it with its compelling characters and story, and the myriad memorable scenes, filled to the brim with Kurosawa's legendary attention to detail and historical accuracy.