Review of Seven Samurai (1954) by Dustin J — 28 Dec 2010

Seven Samurai (Criterion).

Director: Akira Kurosawa.

Writers: Akira Kurosawa, and Shinobu Hashimoto.

Mains: Toshirô Mifune, Takashi Shimura and Keiko Tsushima.

"This isn't our victory".

Plot (Criterion): One of the most thrilling movies epics of all time, Seven Samurai (Scichinin no samurai) tells the story of a sixteenth-century village whose desperate inhabitants hire the eponymous warriors to protect them from invading bandits. This three hour ride from Akira Kusrosawa- featuring leagendary actors Toshiro Mifune and Takashi Shimura- seamlessly weaves philosophy and entertainment, delicate human emotions and relentless action, into a rich, evocative and unforgettable tale of courage and hope.

My Take: Seven Samurai has been name of the greatest entertaining movies of all time. Ranked near the top on all websites about films. Well my review wont be short of that at all. Watching the film I was always curious in why people loved it so. While viewing it I came across that this isnt different from other films that arent loved as much. Then I started to throw in 2 factors. When the movie was made, ( the future impact it would have on movies) and the depth of the characters (displayed flawlessly). So after thinking about it for a while Seven Samurai is a PERFECT film. It has action, drama (lost and love) and suspense. Why do I love this film? Well its all about the story and characters. I simply cared for each Samurai. They all had their own personalities. Even though they all were Samurai they still were very different. My favorite character was the Samurai wanna be. He was the comic relief, hated Samurai's but wanted to become one down deep imo. I wont get into deep about the characters but just be warned you might fall inlove with each Samurai.

Conclusion: After viewing Yojimbo and Sanjuro I wanted to see Kurosawa's acclaimed "Masterpiece". On the initial viewing I told my self this is good but not great. Then I let it soak in and the movie speaks for itself. 3 hrs long without you even knowing it. Written perfectly and performed even better. Seven Samurai has influenced many movies and is still GREAT. I 56 year old film that is still entertaining without special effects and computer technology (not that I don't like this stuff) but it just shows you that the story is amazing. If you like westerns (because this is where westerns are from) then you will love this amazing movie. I wouldn't say this is a must own but it is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. Straight forward easy to comprehend entertainment. Check it out.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

5/5.

__________________.