genre: samurai movies

Introspective. For someone who is more into samurai films than anyone I know, this one is the best of them. Brilliant. i was mezmorized by the precise calculation and execution of every scene. zwick isnt counted among the greats, but this is a stunning directing job. This movie made me like Tom Cruise.

after yet another viewing im reminded of why this is one of my favorite films of all time. my favorite actor playing his best role, it is fascinating to watch this ronin samurai play such a distant character who at the same time is perfectly calculated in every step he makes. this film is often imitated and never equaled, especially the exceptional scene at the end where sanjuro is standing at the edge of the street just moments away from his stand against his enemies. the music, weather, and cinematography were used perfectly and the entire film from start to finish could not have been carried out any better. this film improves with each viewing.

i just watched this movie for the second time and it was worth reviewing again. masterpiece. considered one of the 20 greatest movies of all time by most critics, and considered the greatest samurai film ever, this movie lives up to all of its hype. this film just furthers the lengends of kurosawa who did an amazing job making this film, as well as mifune and shimura for their brilliant acting performances. the whole film all i kept thinking was "wow this movie is amazing, perfect in every way." there are actually 2 other kurosawa films i like more, but that doesnt take away from this film, it just proves that kurosawa was a genius. what a fantastic film.

the great underdog story. a man who should struggle between the path of glory and being a good father, he really doesnt struggle at all. fatherhood comes first for the main character much to the suprise of the other samurai. a story about a man who seems lost to all around him but really only cares for what he loves.

absolutely incredible. this is only the second movie af all time to make me cry, and i cried twice. absolutely one of the sadest things i have ever seen. this film won best picture at the japanese academy awards in 2003 and absolutely deserves it. the story was marvelous and the acting was incredible. there were 2 major things in this movie that infuriated me, those 2 things made me so angry that i wanted nothing more than to HATE this movie. but i cant hate it. its nearly perfect. the main character does have a major contradiction within his character which seems like a possible flaw in the script, but other than this point this film is brilliant. the 2 things that made me want to hate this movie werent flaws or script issues, they were just things in the story that didnt go my way. this film does not have your typical happy ending. but like i said, despite my tears and sadness for the characters at the end, i cant find anything about this film thats not beautiful. i havent stopped thinking about it since i watched it, one of my favorites of all time.

Tashiro Mifune with a semi-sequal to yojimbo, almost as good as yojimbo, this film integrates humor into the role of the wondering ronin. even though yojimbo was slightly better, you can see a progression in kurosawa's skills as a director. this is a great movie.

this is a beautiful film. the close of yoji yamada's loose samurai trilogy, this film catches a seemingly cliche theme of a man looking for sight through blind eyes and makes something extrordinary and anything but cliche. the diologue is poetic and tragic and the story is passionate and heart felt. the acting, music, and direction were amazing and the cinematography was as good as it gets. yamada should never stop making period pieces, all three from the trilogy of films with similar themes were mind blowing. this will be one of my most rewatched films in years to come.

a film containing four short films that are ghost stories from various points of the samurai era in japan. while all four stories were compelling, my perfect rating is mostly for the third story called "hoichi the earless man". hoichi is easily the greatest ghost story i have ever seen on film, with wonderful acting, flawless cinematography, and a haunting storyline. it was a pleasant suprise to see takashi shimura appear as well. the art direction and cinematography for all four stories was essentially perfect, and these four stories assemble to make one of the greatest films i have ever seen.

fantastic film. winner of 12 japanese academy awards, this one has a great ending. i liked the film even better after a second viewing when i was able to invest more in the story. the second of yamada's samurai trilogy, all 3 are essentially perfect films.

an incredible finale to a great trilogy, the duel at the end is a classic scene built with anticipation and excitment. mifune was great as always and this film makes the trilogy feel less like a simple love story and more like an epic of human development. wonderful film.

a great middle step to one of the best trilogies ever.

considered the gone with the wind of Japanese cinema, a good blend of drama and samurai action.

what a fantastic movie. this film is great, very similar in a lot of ways to kagemusha but much better. i thought about giving this film 5 stars but there is a loose end that wasnt tied up when the movie was over, and 5 star movies tie up their loose ends. but regardless, this is an epic film. tatsuya nakadai does an absolute wonderful job and each scene was shot beautifully. i cant believe that in akira kurosawa we had one man that could make so many incredible films. this is one of the best films i have ever seen and i can name 5 of his i liked better. there are plenty of characters in this film to root for and plenty of villians as well, great war film from fuedal japan.

one of the great samurai films of all time. it takes a small hit because of a very slow start, but once the film picks up steam it is marvelous. nakadai is brilliant as always, the cinematography is sensational, and the locations are beautiful providing the perfect mood of serenity for the story. this film would not have worked as well were it not shot in deep winter, but once the mood is set it captures the soul. great film.

very good story. the fighting is great and the lead character does a great job. the diologue is great and the story moves quickly leaving you interested through the entire film. a movie where the end leaves you satisfied.

the end was a little upsetting, but the rebel in me was excited for this one. overall a great flick, and even the disappointing end has a redeeming moment.

lucas' major inspiration for star wars, this is a great film. a must watch, one of kurosawa's best

definitely one of the more american influenced samurai films, feeling like a blend of classic samurai drama and beverly hills cop, this film intrigue's from the first moment and never lets up. solid performances, great screen writing, and a wonderful story make this one of my favorite samurai films. the music was my only real complaint. directed by the legendary kon ichikawa and written by four of the greatest directors in history, including my favorite director akira kurosawa, this seldom sighted samurai film is a classic.

first of all, i have to say, that because this film only played in american theaters for one night, they charged me $15 to see this movie. so i needed it to deliver to say the least, and it did.
the animation was the strongest point, it was beautiful. the story was very borrowed from a long list of other samurai films, but it was still very engaging, and the characters were fleshed out well. it certainly isnt "the greatest animated samurai epic of all time" as many have suggested, because relatively none of it was original, but it was an absolutely excellent film and among the better samurai films that i have ever seen.

very inventive. the story was creative and deep. the only flaw in fact is that the story was too deep, so deep that parts were very confusing. alot of characters whose story intermingle in complex ways. the fighting was great and i loved the concept of samurai spies, sort of like early incarnations of ninjas.

this was an excellent samurai flick. a story about two brothers battleing over the right to be shogun, the story is well told with great plot twists and a fast paced feel. conspiracies abound and you never know which side to root for from one moment to the next. by the end you realize that the only character worth rooting for was only semi-significant until the close of the war causes him to be the carrier of justice. highly recommended.

this samurai epic is one of the many examples of the greatness of samurai films and japanese film in general. inagaki does a bang up directing job and mifune puts in another of his countless stellar performances. the story is great, the camera work and locations used were top notch, and the film possesed a beauty to it that has to be seen to be understood. a legthy film that justifies its 2 hr and 45 minute length. great film.

the best samurai comedy ever made. mifune was as clever as he was in seven samurai playing a silly but effective samurai who ascends from farmer to savior. although the end was serious, the film blended drama and comedy well and made this a fun watch. excellent film.

zatoichi breaks into the world of color film in a great way. this third instalment of the zatoichi series is great, with more thoughtful diologue and an even more intriguing storyline than the first two which were already very good. zatoichi meets his mentor in a great duel and stands up for justice at the same time. excellent samurai film.

this film is 3 and a half hours. it basically breaks into 2 halves, before the intermission is story and character development, after the intermission is the unfolding of the mission. based on a true story and one of the most famous instances in japanese history, this film tells the story of the 47 samurai who defied the shogunate to avenge the death of their master. character development is usually my favorite part of a movie, but in this film they over did it. there was too much development even for my taste. having said that, by the end of this film you cant say that they didnt tell you the whole story. there is zero action until the very end when the film climaxes in a huge fight scene, but it was worth the wait. the fight scene was brilliantly coreographed and the action was unmissable. getting through the over the top story telling was well worth it with the huge pay off at the end of one of the better fight scenes ive seen in a samurai film. when the film is over, the extensive story telling didnt bother me, although it was a bit much, it served me better having known so much about the characters. i felt invested. this was a great film that is worth the lengthy time it took to watch it. tashiro mifune was also good in this film but i was suprised at how small his role was. at the time this film was made mifune was already a big star and he had very little screen time, but he was good as usual. a great samurai film.

i liked this film a lot. this is considered one of kurosawas 5 greatest films, and i wouldnt even put it in my top 8 of his, but it was still very good. i think most respect this film so much because it was the film that catapulted kurosawa to stardom, and i can see how. mifune and shimura were great as always and the story was very compelling. ultimately, its a story about liars and thieves and the reality that most people in this world are not to be trusted. the last fight scene was weak, but most of this film was great. more brilliance from akira kurosawa.

to begin with, this film is certainly not without its flaws. the first 25 minutes of the film are told in a non linear fashion that is more confusing and jumbled than it is creative. the film also throws in a love story for the lead character and a young girl that is completely without purpose and feels forced. and finally, the end of the film is so abrupt that it literally leaves you hanging with many unanswered questions. normally this would be too much flaw in a film to overcome. having said all of that, since this film was based on a true and epic event in japanese history and because im well versed on the historical events that took place, i was not only able to follow the film through the rough start and incomplete finish but i was so enthralled with every part of the film other than the three flaws that i just mentioned that i completely enjoyed this movie. ichikawa's choice of set design, natural settings, camera work, and direction of his actors were all as flawless as i would expect from an ichikawa film, and the parts of the story told well were told especially well. if you dont know the real story behind the film it might be hard to follow, but if you do you might love this film as much as i did.

great flick. tatsuya nakadai is becoming one of my favorite actors, and he is good in this one. the story is a little confusing at parts but becomes more clear at the end. mostly about betrayal but the action is good and it gives an even perspective to the ups and downs of being a samurai.

this is a simple yet very engaging samurai classic. katsu plays this role well and the story was well told with a great climax ending. i cant wait to make my way through the entire zatoichi series.

we pick up a year after the last zatoichi ends, and i have to say that i was excited to see zatoichi again. if i feel this way after 2 films, im sure by film #10 he will feel like an old friend. just as good as the first, this film continues some of the first films story lines in interesting and entertaining ways. a really solid samurai classic.

this was a great samurai film. the shinsengumi are a well documented group of loyalists to the shogun in japans history and this is a great film about them. mifune was brilliant as he always was. you get to a point in this film where one moment you are rooting for mifune and his followers, and the next minute you are rooting against them. you sort of go back and forth throughout the film. in the end, i was saddened by the outcome but i was ok with it. really a great film.

This was a really good movie. its a samurai classic and tatsuya nakadai was amazing as always. he is definitely one of the finest japanese actors ever. i didnt like a few aspects of the way that the story was revealed, and too much of the pay off was given too early in the film, but it was very good. the story was great and the message of corruption and hypocrasy in fuedal japan was strong, a great samurai film.

one of mifune's portrayals of the character yojimbo. certainly not as good as the versions directed by kurosawa, but mifune obviously knows this character. this is a solid film with a great and unexpected twist.

despite the limitations that this film faced with its limited story, few characters, and single environment, the film is incredibly effective with what is put on screen. the cinematography was especially perfect in every way, creating a necessary eerieness that sets the perfect mood for a mild horror film that takes place in the most perfect of settings with the daunting tall grass near an unsettling river. the fear factor was at a perfect level and overall the film is perfect for fans of the old style horror that cares more about story than gore and shock value. one of my favorite horror films of all time.

akira kurosawa's version of shakespears macbeth. this was a solid film in most ways. part ghost story, part betrayal story, mifune plays a rare role as a villian and does a magnificent job as always. there were some chilling shots in the film and the story was told well. this was definitely a less involved movie than most of kurosawas work, but still compelling. a story about a woman with a poisonous tongue confusing her loyal husband into betrayal and treason against his lord in fuedal japan. the wife plays a character riddled with evil.i have to say that i did expect more from this film because there was less struggle than i expected, but still a solid film.

samurai comedy. i actually was ready to hate this film, but there was a charm to it that made me love it by the end. the music was terrible and the action left me wanting, but the attempt to do samurai comedy was a noble one and didnt fall flat, so the charisma of the characters works despite its silliness. great flick.

although not as good as other zatoichi movies, this is a solid zatoichi tale. the story is a bit incoherent in the begining, but the story picks up well and the fight scene at the end is classic. zatoichi goes all cyrano debergerac on a group of samurai, and we see his first true moments of vulnerability. good flick.

scattered and unclear, but a great representation of japanese regime culture. battle scene at end is terrible, but the characters are represented well.

I had a tough time giving this film 3 stars. i rate it this high because the film seemed to be going in a good direction through the first 1hr and 30 min, the characters were cool, and most of the sword play coreography was very good, but the last 30 min was beyond terrible. i cant believe a film with such a great start could end so poorly. when the film is over there is no closure on any single character in the film. Nakadai's character appears to be on his way to death but that is uncertain, and the way one would expect him to meet his doom based on the story is not the way he appears to die. I was most dissapointed with not knowing exactly what happens to tashiro mifune's character. the acting in this film was top notch but im not sure if i have ever finished a film less sastisfied that with this one.

this story is very slow and even pointless until over half way through when they finally reveal the point of the film. this is a ghost story with some decent twists, there is a sad element to this and the acting was decent, but the story just took too long to develop.

easily the worst samurai film of the "serious" samurai films. this is still better than the samurai films that blend chinese martial arts, or the "D" attempts at samurai or the samurai films where the samurai's use guns or fight vampires, but as a serious attempt at jedi-geki samurai film making this is incredibly disappointing. it is unfortunate because this is shintaro katsu's last film, but the story was jumbled, the acting was weak, the cast was poorly chosen, and the end fell flat.