Review of Seven Samurai (1954) by Alex R — 24 Nov 2012

So many words come to mind in describing Akira Kurosawa's epic action drama Seven Samurai. This is filmmaking at its very best. This is an expertly crafted film that is grand in scope and delivers the ultimate viewing experience for the cinema buff.

The plot is simple, yet the execution is immaculate, with great directing, wonderful pacing and great action scenes. The film combines elements of a drama and action film very well and there's enough going for this film to make it stand out as a definitive classic of cinema.

Akira Kurosawa is a master of cinema, one of the greats and he has proved that with this outstanding work. This film is not for everyone as it is nearly four hours long and it focuses more on telling a compelling story than focusing on action.

With that said, Seven Samurai is a beautiful picture that some great performances and is among the best foreign films ever made. What is surprising about this film is that director Kurosawa is able to pull off such a grand film using such a simple idea.

The result is outstanding. Filmed in beautiful black and white, Seven Samurai is an epic picture that would influence films for many years to come. With this picture, Akira Kurosawa created new ideas that would be seen in many future releases.

The reason that this film is so good is because the film relies more on performances and storytelling to entertain the viewer and it does that in spades. If you're not into epics or hate slow-paced movies, then this is not a film for you.

However if you want to watch one of the defining works in cinema history, regardless, Seven Samurai is definitely essential viewing. This for me is one of the first grand epics of the 1950's and other would soon follow such as The Ten Commandments and Ben-hur.

Seven Samurai is long, granted, but you can't deny its impact on cinema, and with that said, it's a masterful picture that is breathtaking from start to finish.