Yojimbo

I actually quite enjoyed it, coz the original story is still there, but it lacked the comedy edge of the original (which is one of my all-time fave films), and, while I quite like Mr Willis, he is no Mifune

...All you touch and all you see is all your life will ever be....

"Yojimbo" is not the original. That movie is based on an old book by Dashiell Hammett called The Red Harvest, which is a lot more like Last Man Standing than the Japanese adaptation. It's about a private eye going to gang-controlled company town and playing both sides as a hired gun, loosely based on the author's experiences in Butte, Montana for the Pinkerton Detective Agency, whose main role was muscle for hire used to keep striking workers in check. As far as I know, it's not based on any Japanese legend about samurai, but the more I think about it, the main theme (allegiance to one's personal code of honor rather than his purported allies) is certainly more Japanese than American.

I feel that where "Yojimbo" is a gentle caress of the cheek, "Last Man Standing" is right cross to the chops. LMS has absolutely no finess at all where "Yojimbo", tho' with it's violent moments, tells the story in a much more subtle, enjoyable way. At least that's what I think.

"All we're saying, is give Peace a chance"

Not as good as Yojimbo, but I still enjoyed Last Man Standing. I just like the story I guess, set in different era's.

I felt that A Fistful of Dollars was a better adaptation. Clint Eastwood was wise in cutting the majority of his lines.

I think you need to see this in a different light to the original.
Walter Hill is clearly a life-long Kurosawa fan. (The final scene of his 1979 Warriors is also a straight steal from Yojimbo!)
He steals from the great man - but not shamelessly - with reverence.
To me Hill is taking the bgreat Kurosawa stories of truth, honour, loyalty, single minded men immune to love living close to death - he is taking these stories which would never be seen by large western audiences and re-doing them in a way that americans and brits will at least want to go to the movies and check them out.
I doubt walter hill thinks Last man comares that closely as art with Yojimbo.. . i think he knows more people have now seen Kurosawa's story than they would have otherwise
to me that's mission accomplised - any of those reading this who have seen Yojimbo - like me - the fact is we weren't the target audience.
It's the best Kurosawa remake since magnificent seven
even including star wars as a remake of hidden fortress