Seven Samurai (1954)
8.449 /10
4092 Reviews
Rate This Movie:
A samurai answers a village's request for protection after he falls on hard times. The town needs protection from bandits, so the samurai gathers six others to help him teach the people how to defend themselves, and the villagers provide the soldiers with food.
Videos & Photos
cast
... Kikuchiyo
... Kambei Shimada
... Gorobei Katayama
... Kyuzo
... Heihachi Hayashida
User reviews
Fantastic movie with a great touch of reality.
Director:
Release Date:
1954-04-26
Run Time:
207 min
MMPA Rating:
NR
Reviews of
Seven Samurai
Fantastic movie with a great touch of reality.
At the top of my favorite films ever. Every time I watch it is see something new. Bandits steal peasants rice. Peasants hire ronin samurai to defend them. Great plot, pace and acting. Akira Kurasawa's best...perhaps.
**Maybe a little overrated, but there's no doubt that it's good.**
Well, I have to start this text with a note that I believe is relevant to understand what I'm going to write: this was the first Japanese film that I remember seeing. I might even be forgetting something I've seen before, but I don't think so. Therefore, I'm not a good connoisseur of Japanese cinema, so I don't want my opinion to be taken with any authority that I don't crave. I know there are people who want that. I do not. I speak, as in any of my reviews, only through my mouth, from the height of my meager wisdom, without pretensions. I may be right about some things, wrong about others, but that's the most normal thing in the world.
I decided to see this film because it was highly recommended and well regarded… everyone said it was a very good film, so I decided to see it for myself. I just finished it, and read a little about the film and its director, the famous Akira Kurosawa. The film is really a work that is above average, but it is not the kind of film that pleases everyone, and it seems to me to be a little overvalued, which results in damage. I say this because I felt, at various times, that the film failed to meet my expectations, as I am quite neutral, that is, I neither love this type of film nor feel repugnance in watching it.
The script takes place, roughly, in the mid-16th century, when Japan was divided into feuds and kingdoms, and there were frequent internecine wars in which the samurai took part. Of course, in such an environment, it is the common people who sacrifice themselves, and the humblest have always been the most susceptible to abuse by the powerful. That's what we have here, with a rural village that is regularly looted and devastated by an armed band until it decides to hire a small group of wandering samurai to help defend it. They achieve this objective, and we are invited to see all the labors that occur in the preparation of the defense, and in the martial training of those peasants.
I'm going to do it differently, and start by saying the aspects that seemed most positive to me. First, it seems to me that Kurosawa is really meticulous in the work he has done and has great affection and respect for his country's traditions and history. Otherwise, one would not understand the effort and money that were tied up in a film with such a historical and cultural load. To what extent did his taste for realism influence European cinema, or vice versa? I'm sure there are film students who have discussed this. What I can guarantee is the commitment to realism, visible, for example, in the extraordinary design of the sets and costumes, and in the static cinematography, very elegant and sharp. The script is quite solid, and gives us an extraordinarily credible story and very well-built and striking characters. I don't know the actors well, but I think Toshiro Mifune deserves applause for the commitment and work he has done here. He is an actor who naturally captures our attention and has a charisma that comes through effortlessly.
On the negative side, however, we also have several aspects to point out, starting with the length of the film, with more than three and a half hours. I'm sorry to say, but I feel that the script didn't justify that much time, and that Kurosawa didn't work the pace well. With a more restricted edition, he would have managed to reduce the film, without much loss, to two hours, and make it less heavy and exhausting. We don't need to see every village debate or every military training shenanigans. I also didn't like the attempts at humor introduced in the film. They just weren't funny at all. The excessive predictability of the story told also turns out to be a defect. I also didn't like the virtual absence of a soundtrack. I've seen that in other films, and I've never been particularly fond of that stylistic device.
I must begin by saying I am a bit "attention deficit" and that I never thought I would like subtitles, but this film flows through its long length with such adventure that I don't see how anyone can keep from being entranced with every second.
And it takes a lot to hold my interest.
In case you haven't heard, this "magnificent seven samurai" so to speak, are enlisted one by one to aid a village beset by 40 bandits.
What is often lost is that the story is really "Four villagers". Two are village elders (although not as old as the "grandpa" character they look to for advice). One, Manzo, represents the conservative element that in our era might be called "Republican", and the other, Mosuke, represents the liberal or "Democrat" policy. The other two are Yohei, a man full of fear who thinks Manzo's policies will protect him; and Rikiki, the boldest villager who is more in tune with Mosuke. Indeed, Rikiki might qualify as the "eighth samurai" as the film progresses.
There are so many wonderful subplots and so muuch excitement even when there is no action, that there's never a dull moment.
The samurai also have their ups and downs. Toshiro Mifune is not the leader, but he is the soul. He is much like Rikiki.
There is humor throughout that is perfectly timed, and much tragedy. I think it is Kurosawa's masterpiece, and he is one of the most respected directors of all time.
Maybe the greatest movie of all-time. This film is an epic accomplishment of long-form storytelling, amazing performances, wonderful camera work and fantastic sets. As is typical of Kurosawa, this movie attacks the theme of greed and is very willing to critically examine the high-status classes, in this case the "honourable" samurai. The characters are likeable for the most and the performance from Toshiro Mifune is absolutely masterful and his character is a brilliantly comic tragic character. The action is very raw with mud and rain and chaos, which I appreciate. The pacing in the middle is ever so slightly slow but it really doesn't detract from this utterly brilliant masterpiece.
Cast & Crew of
Seven Samurai
Cast
... Kikuchiyo
... Kambei Shimada
... Gorobei Katayama
... Kyuzo
... Heihachi Hayashida
... Shichiroji
... Katsushiro Okamoto
... Shino
... Rikichi's Wife
... Manzô - Father of Shino
... Mosuke
... Yohei
... Rikichi
... Gisaku, the Old Man
... Kidnapper
... Coolie A
... Bun Seller
... Grandfather of Kidnapped Girl
... Samurai
... Bandit Scout
... Blind Player
... Samurai Who Kicks Farmers
... Gosaku
... Bandit Chieftain
... Bandit Second-in-Command
... Samurai with Gun
... Tea Shop Owner
... Weak Ronin
... Coolie #2
... Strong-Looking Samurai
... Buddhist Priest
... Wife of Gono Family
... Woman Farmer
... Samurai
... Bandit
... Samurai
... Samurai
... Samurai
... Bandit
... Samurai
... Bandit Who Escapes
... Bandit Who Escapes
... Bandit
... Bandit
... Bandit
... Bandit
... Bandit
... Bandit
... Bandit
... Bandit
... Bandit
... Bandit
... Bandit
... Bandit
... Farmer
... Samurai
... Samurai
... Gisaku's Son
... Farmer
... Farmer
... Farmer
... Farmer
... Farmer
... Farmer
... Farmer
... Farmer
... Husband of Gono Family
... Farmer
... Farmer
... Farmer
... Farmer
... Farmer
... Farmer
... Farmer in Front of Gono
... Farmer
... Farmer in Front of Gono
... Farmer
... Farmer
... Farmer
... Farmer
... Coolie #3
... Gisaku's Daughter-in-Law
... Woman Farmer in front of Gono
... Woman Farmer
... Woman Farmer
... Woman Farmer
... Woman Farmer
... Farmer's Wife
... Farmer's Wife
... Farmer's Wife
... Farmer's Wife
... Farmer's Wife
... Farmer's Wife
... Farmer's Wife
... Woman Farmer
... Woman Farmer
... Samurai Wandering through Town (uncredited)
... Samurai Wandering through Town (uncredited)
... Samurai Wandering through Town (uncredited)
... Farmer (uncredited)
... Gisaku's Son
Crew
... Screenplay
... Screenplay
... Screenplay
... Director
... Producer
... Accountant
... Assistant Director
... Script Supervisor
... Assistant Director
... Assistant Art Director
... Director of Photography
... Production Office Assistant
... Original Music Composer
... Editor
... Lighting Technician
... Sound Recordist
... Assistant Director
... First Assistant Camera
... Researcher
... Production Supervisor
... Sound Effects Editor
... Lighting Technician
... Set Decoration
... Hairstylist
... Art Direction
... Property Master
... Stunts
... Costume Design
... Makeup Artist
... Editorial Manager
... Production Assistant
... Assistant Director
... Sound Assistant
... Assistant Director
... Still Photographer
![BFI 4K Restoration Trailer [Subtitled]](https://img.youtube.com/vi/RsRN65PlaIM/mqdefault.jpg)
![Official 4K Restoration Trailer [Subtitled]](https://img.youtube.com/vi/fRUsjrkGs_A/mqdefault.jpg)
![Original Japanese Theatrical Trailer [Subtitled]](https://img.youtube.com/vi/7mw6LyyoeGE/mqdefault.jpg)
Similar Movies To
Seven Samurai
The Eighteen Darts (Part 1) (1966)
0/10
The Eighteen Darts (Part 1) is a Chinese Opera Musical starring Jackie Chan, Sammo Hung and Yuen Biao in child roles.
Release: 1966-08-23
The Eighteen Darts (Part 2) (1966)
0/10
The Eighteen Darts (Part 2) is a Chinese Opera Musical starring Jackie Chan, Sammo Hung and Yuen Biao in child roles.
Release: 1966-08-30
Lost in Translation (2003)
7.385/10
Two lost souls visiting Tokyo -- the young, neglected wife of a photographer and a washed-up movie star shooting a TV commercial -- find an odd solace and pensive freedom to be real in each other's company, away from their lives in America.
Release: 2003-09-18
The Good German (2006)
5.813/10
An American journalist arrives in Berlin just after the end of World War Two. He becomes involved in a murder mystery surrounding a dead GI who washes up at a lakeside mansion during the Potsdam negotiations between the Allied powers. Soon his investigation connects with his search for his married pre-war German lover.
Release: 2006-12-15
Braveheart (1995)
7.942/10
Enraged at the slaughter of Murron, his new bride and childhood love, Scottish warrior William Wallace slays a platoon of the local English lord's soldiers. This leads the village to revolt and, eventually, the entire country to rise up against English rule.
Release: 1995-05-24
The Wages of Fear (1953)
8.002/10
In a run-down South American town, four men are paid to drive trucks loaded with nitroglycerin into the jungle through to the oil field. Friendships are tested and rivalries develop as they embark upon the perilous journey.
Release: 1953-04-22
Ali: Fear Eats the Soul (1974)
7.736/10
Emmi Kurowski, a cleaning lady, is lonely in her old age. Her husband died years ago, and her grown children offer little companionship. One night she goes to a bar frequented by Arab immigrants and strikes up a friendship with middle-aged mechanic Ali. Their relationship soon develops into something more, and Emmi's family and neighbors criticize their spontaneous marriage. Soon Emmi and Ali are forced to confront their own insecurities about their future.
Release: 1974-03-05
Volver (2006)
7.468/10
Three generations of women survive the east wind, fire, insanity, superstition and even death by means of goodness, lies and boundless vitality.
Release: 2006-03-17
The Blue Angel (1930)
7.307/10
Prim professor Immanuel Rath finds some of his students ogling racy photos of cabaret performer Lola Lola and visits a local club, The Blue Angel, in an attempt to catch them there. Seeing Lola perform, the teacher is filled with lust, eventually resigning his position at the school to marry the young woman. However, his marriage to a coquette -- whose job is to entice men -- proves to be more difficult than Rath imagined.
Release: 1930-04-01
The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920)
7.9/10
Francis, a young man, recalls in his memory the horrible experiences he and his fiancée Jane recently went through. Francis and his friend Alan visit The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, an exhibit where the mysterious doctor shows the somnambulist Cesare, and awakens him for some moments from his death-like sleep.
Release: 1920-02-27
The Godfather Part II (1974)
8.57/10
In the continuing saga of the Corleone crime family, a young Vito Corleone grows up in Sicily and in 1910s New York. In the 1950s, Michael Corleone attempts to expand the family business into Las Vegas, Hollywood and Cuba.
Release: 1974-12-20
Zatoichi (2003)
7.233/10
Blind traveler Zatoichi is a master swordsman and a masseur with a fondness for gambling on dice games. When he arrives in a village torn apart by warring gangs, he sets out to protect the townspeople.
Release: 2003-09-06
La Strada (1954)
7.912/10
When Gelsomina, a naïve young woman, is purchased from her impoverished mother by brutish circus strongman Zampanò to be his wife and partner, she loyally endures her husband's coldness and abuse as they travel the Italian countryside performing together. Soon Zampanò must deal with his jealousy and conflicted feelings about Gelsomina when she finds a kindred spirit in Il Matto, the carefree circus fool, and contemplates leaving Zampanò.
Release: 1954-09-23
La Haine (1995)
8.083/10
After a chaotic night of rioting in a marginal suburb of Paris, three young friends, Vinz, Hubert and Saïd, wander around unoccupied waiting for news about the state of health of a mutual friend who has been seriously injured when confronting the police.
Release: 1995-05-31
8½ (1963)
8.116/10
Guido Anselmi, a film director, finds himself creatively barren at the peak of his career. Urged by his doctors to rest, Anselmi heads for a luxurious resort, but a sorry group gathers—his producer, staff, actors, wife, mistress, and relatives—each one begging him to get on with the show. In retreat from their dependency, he fantasizes about past women and dreams of his childhood.
Release: 1963-02-14
Schindler's List (1993)
8.566/10
The true story of how businessman Oskar Schindler saved over a thousand Jewish lives from the Nazis while they worked as slaves in his factory during World War II.
Release: 1993-12-15
La Dolce Vita (1960)
8.049/10
Episodic journey of journalist Marcello who struggles to find his place in the world, torn between the allure of Rome's elite social scene and the stifling domesticity offered by his girlfriend, all the while searching for a way to become a serious writer.
Release: 1960-02-05
Romeo + Juliet (1996)
6.784/10
In director Baz Luhrmann's contemporary take on William Shakespeare's classic tragedy, the Montagues and Capulets have moved their ongoing feud to the sweltering suburb of Verona Beach, where Romeo and Juliet fall in love and secretly wed. Though the film is visually modern, the bard's dialogue remains.
Release: 1996-11-01
As It Is in Heaven (2004)
7.115/10
A musical romantic tragedy about a famous composer who moves back to his small hometown after having had heart troubles. His search for a simple everyday life leads him into teaching the local church choir, which is not easily accepted by the town yet the choir builds a great love for their teacher.
Release: 2004-09-03
Pi (1998)
7.117/10
A mathematical genius discovers a link between numbers and reality, and thus believes he can predict the future.
Release: 1998-07-10