Seven Samurai (BFI)

One of the greatest films ever made, and my all-time number one ever since I first saw it on BBC 2 when I was a sprog. An essentially simple tale of peasant farmers hiring a band of ronin to protect their village from an impending bandit raid, this movie has everything going for it - action, comedy, romance, tragedy, musings on the lot of humanity, beautiful cinematography, a sparkling script, stunning location work, and mesmerising performances from the "Kurosawa-gumi", Akira Kurosawa's core selection of actors with whom he worked again and again. Aside from the legendary Toshiro Mifune's highly-entertaining and eccentric turn as Kikuchiyo, the peasant-turned-ronin (reminiscent of his earlier performance as the bandit in "Rashomon"), there is Takashi Shimura as Kambei, the world-weary and self-effacing leader of the samurai, and Daisuke Kato as Shichiroji, his efficient second-in-command. Minoru Chiaki and Kamatari Fujiwara (who Kurosawa would later cast as the comic peasants Tahei and Mataschichi in "The Hidden Fortress", the twin inspirations for C3PO and R2D2 of "Star Wars" fame) are present as, respectively, the cheerful ronin Heihachi and the weaselly, somewhat creepy villager Manzo. Also look out for Seiji Miyaguchi as the super-cool sword master Kyuzo. Then there's the wonderfully monkey-faced Bokuzen Hidari as the eternally timid and put-upon peasant Yohei. Finally, see if you can spot the famous Japanese actor Tatsuya Nakadai in a blink-and-you'll-miss-him walk-on role as a passing samurai. The first time he'd worked for Kurosawa, but not the last by a long chalk. It's nice to know that I'm not the only one who adores this movie - that's why John Sturges remade it in 1960 as The Magnificent Seven.

This has to be the greatest film of all time!
This film is unrivaled by any other movie of its origin, it has a wonderful storyline, that takes you on a spiritual journey. The shots are great, and expressions are unmatched. The action is wonderful. You get attached to each character and are entrigued with their story! i am a young lad who you would expect to be into fast paced films but none of these modern films compare to this. This film inspired the likes of spielberg and george lucas himself. this picture makes you realise how dear a grain of rice can be! All in all this is the ultimate film, great story good action and full of emotion. 100% quality! id recommend buying this right now!

If you watch no other samurai film watch this! " I shall stick swords in the ground all around so I can kill as many as I can!" what more can i say!!!!!!!!

Wow - you fall very silent very quickly watching this film. The actors create real characters you will not forget from the first 20 minuets. From the thoughtful, philosophical leader to the anonymous, compassionate, itching and scratching madman they remain vivid in your thoughts long after you first view this incredible movie. Beautiful, brutal and moving these stray, leaderless Ronin lay testament to the real Zen spirit of the Bushido warrior (the Samurai). I am not sure if the Director wants us to remember the Samurai in terms of the honor and Zen qualities of these amazing characters or is he trying to atone for the horrors the Japanese committed in the name of the Samurai warrior during world war 2 which was only 9 years previous, who knows, but on what-ever level, this movie works. The quiet, reflective leader executes his plans with brutal precision mercilessly but his motive and reward (as is for all of the seven samurai) is pure Zen.

the western heads east in akira kurosawa's towering masterpiece. in 17th century japan the elders of a poor village set out to hire samurai warriors to protect their homes from rampaging bandits, unable to offer anything in return but food and the chance of a good fight. among those they enlist are quietly charismatic takeshi shimura and reckless yob toshiro mifune. unrivalled action sequences are set against a richly detailed study of peasant life (and death), all beautifully photographed. the film was remade in the usa in 1960 as the magnificent seven.