Seven Samurai

The Samurai are the only hope for survival. I recently watched the 1954 Japanese action film Seven Samurai, directed by Akira Kurosawa. Starring Takashi Shimura, Toshiro Mifune, and Daisuke Katō, it takes place in Japan, 1586 and was released before the rating system was created.

The film centers around a village of farmers under attack by bandits who steal their crops. They’ve done it year after year and the farmers can’t stand it anymore. In order to prevent this, the farmers decide to hire several Samurai warriors to defend them. A team of seven Samurai is assembled and ready to take down the bandits. Can they stop the thieving? Will they all survive the battle?

As my brother and I were playing the new video game Ghost of Tsushima, we were inspired to check out this movie due to the matching Samurai theme. It did not disappoint. The film creates a classic scenario and executes it to craft an entertaining movie. The movie is in black and white, which was a great choice by the filmmakers as it helps create an old-world feel. The film starts out rather slow, but it picks up the pace once the Seven Samurai start facing off against the bandits. The film shouldn’t have been 3 hours and 27 minutes long, which is a problem, but it’s all worth it for the exciting fights. It’s also wonderful character development to see the Samurai go from being reluctant teammates to a real team.

The story in the film is timeless and told well as the classic Samurai are there to save the innocent and kill the bad guys. In fact, six years after this film was released, it was remade as an American western film called The Magnificent Seven, replacing the Samurai with gunslingers. While both films are great, I give Seven Samurai the edge, as I found it to be more engaging.

In addition to the compelling story, the characters are realistic and brought to life by the actors’ portrayals. The leader in the group, Kambei Shimada, (played by Takashi Shimura) uses his Samurai experience to his advantage as well as inspiring the other members to keep fighting. My favorite character, Kikuchiyo, (played by Toshiro Mifune) initially comes across as foolish, but ends up being a useful fighter, while providing comic relief. By contrast, the bandits themselves are not at all interesting, as they have no personality and little dialogue.

Despite that flaw, this is one of the most incredible films I’ve ever seen and probably the best Japanese film I’ve seen. It’s an epic journey that most people will be engaged to watch. However, if you do not like slow moving movies this may not be for you.