Who is Sanjuro Kuwabatake?

No, seriously, who is Sanjuro Kuwabatake? I spent half the film trying to figure out if he was a good guy or a bad guy. In the end, I believe he was a good guy but he certainly had a shallow way of going about it. Overall, I found the film to be interesting; definitely out of my comfort zone. I'm fairly used to watching foreign films but I think the fact that this one was made in 1961 took a bit of a toll on me. I'm not used to watching much in black and white, but I think that Akira Kuwosawa played off the contrasting colors very nicely. The setting and casting were great and there were great transitions between moments of seriousness and comedy. Although the film was interesting and a good new experience, I’m not sure if I’ll be able to call it a favorite of mine any time soon.