Movie Review: What to watch while we wait for season two of ‘The Mandalorian’

The Mandalorian official poster. Courtesy of Disney

By Catherine Engstrom-Hadley
Staff Writer

Even if 2019 wasn’t your year, it still brought us “The Mandalorian,” an almost-perfect season of television, and the feather in Disney+’s cap. Was it Baby Yoda’s big eyes that prompted you to start watching? Maybe it was Werner Herzog as “the client,” or the internet calling for Jason Sudeikis’s head on a stick for punching Baby Yoda. Whatever it is that got you in the door, the cast, characters and plotlines are certainly reasons to come back.

If you liked “The Mandalorian,” try out these westerns and samurai movies while we patiently wait for season two.

“Seven Samurai” – a band of heroes is assembled in a classic against-all-odds mission to save a small village from a gang of bandits. George Lucas has sited creator Akira Kurosawa as an influence on his filmmaking.

“The Wild Bunch” – Very similar to the first episode of “The Mandalorian,” we see a hero venture into a small town full of enemies, and he must bravely battle his way out to complete his mission in this film full of heists and gunfights. “The Wild Bunch” is one of the last of its kind, the death rattle of the western in the 1960s. With its themes of loyalty and the laws of the lawless, we can see how the seed was planted for characters like the Mandalorian and his kind.

“Yojimbo” – A samurai gets caught up in a political scheme with local gangs. He must train the new generation of warriors to help him fight to save the town. The brilliant producer of “The Mandalorian,” Jon Favreau, told Pedro Pascal, who plays Mando, to study this film prior to shooting season one.

“Red River” – An evil taskmaster of a cattle drive infuriates his son with his awful behavior. The son rebels against the father, pushing him out of the operation, and the father comes back for revenge.

“Lone Wolf and Cub: Sword of Vengeance (Shogun Assassin)” – If you are only going to watch one of these films, then this is the one to watch. A rogue samurai travels to Edo Japan with his three-year-old son, getting himself into plenty of fights along the way. Mirroring “The Mandalorian,” you’ll enjoy every twist and turn with villains, allies, and adventures.