Seven Samurai

Pros: deep story and characters, impressive presentation and format, ground-breaking, action-packed and emotional
Cons: none

Seven Samurai is an epic tale of seven heroes that stand up to fight for a town of farmers under threat of attack from 40 bandits. These bandits come through on a yearly basis, taking the crops (rice) and killing those who would resist them. ...

Pros: Great character development, perfectly paced storytelling
Cons: Dated production

In 1954 Seven Samurai (Shichinin no samurai) was the largest single undertaking by a Japanese director at that time. It was a monumental movie at 3 ½ hours long, and inspired the American remake The Magnificent Seven and several other projects. It ...

Pros: Mifune, the other 6 Samurai, Kurosawa's mastery of the medium
Cons: Some may find the running time gruesome (I didn't)

Pros: Great story, interesting characters, fine performances, and thrilling action scenes
Cons: Long, subtitles (if that annoys you), and a somewhat over-the-top performance by Mifune

According to the Internet Movie Database, Akira Kurosawa’s grand epic The Seven Samurai (1954), is currently the 7th most popular film all-time. That is the highest ranking non-English language film and the only one in the top twenty in this ...

Pros: Kurosawa's Direction, Script, Cinematography, Editing, Sound, Music, Action, Momentum, & Cast.
Cons: None!

While it's claimed by many, including several filmmakers, that Japanese director Akira Kurosawa had made some of the greatest films ever made including numerous masterpieces. It's clear that it's hard to pick just one. One of those films that is often ...

Pros: acting, good cast, scenic, good story line, interesting characters, feudal era at it's pinnacle
Cons: can be slow, character development is not similar to the speed of light

Ever watched the old western classic, Magnificent Seven? Well, if you have, you'll probably like this movie. As a matter of fact, the Magnificent Seven was based on Seven Samurai's story. The Seven Samurai, a samurai classic is a story of honor, bravery,...

Pros: Stunning cinematography, great performances, incredible directorial vision
Cons: The film's length will alienate many viewers

Pros: Influential, beautifully shot, directed, and acted.
Cons: NONE

Welcome to The Samurai Papers Part II: Seven Samurai. To read the first review in this series go HERE.

In this review we will continue with discussing how samurai movies have influenced modern films in the...

Pros: Incredible camera work and cinematography, outstanding direction, delightful and provocative cast
Cons: Isn't long enough...

I must first admit, before beginning this review, that until I saw Seven Samurai, I wasn't too keen on the entire Japanese film culture. I've never had a problem with subtitles or foreign films, in fact quite the contrary. However, I simply wasn't very...

Pros: Good action, humour, and drama.... and Toshiro Mifune.
Cons: Very long.

There's certainly a lot of kung-fu movies, samurai movies, and other B-movies of that type. But that doesn't quite explain the special position of many of Akira Kurosawa's films, which definitely are not B-movies, or cheesy adventures, but "real"...

Pros: Beautifully directed and edited; complex and subtle yet action-packed
Cons: Actions of the characters don't always make sense to American audiences.

Japanese director Akira Kurosawa was strongly influenced by American westerns, and sought to use the same format to present medieval Japan to modern viewers. Seven Samurai is one of his best full-length features in this genre. I find it...

Pros: A classic; masterful direction; photography; fine cast
Cons: Not for beginners; there's a ten percent chance you'll be bored silly

Akira Kurosawa's best-known film, Seven Samurai is an engrossing, masterfully constructed epic, one that introduced Japan (and Kurosawa) as a major player in world cinema. The greatness of the film does not lie in the usual elements, though, such...

Pros: Available on DVD for all to enjoy. Great movie.
Cons: Sparse extras, VHS looking video

I love Criterion. They have the guts to release whatever they want on DVD. Their motto of "publishing only the finest examples of cinema and style" is dead true. You constantly hear how rare some of their movies are, and Seven Samurai is one. There...

Pros: direction, cinematography, story, Mifune
Cons: romantic subplot, unlikely war decisions

Directed by the legendary Akira Kurosawa, "The Seven Samurai" is one of the most famous and highly praised of all Japanese films. It is often seen on many critic's all-time top ten lists.

"The Seven Samurai" takes place in...

Pros: Amazing use of camera angles and lighting. Action and acting are outstanding
Cons: Not for those of short attention span

To review legendary Japanese film director Akira Kurosawa's Seven Samurai seems silly and redundant, as the film and the directors work are so well known as among the finest of films ever made. I will say that my review of the film comes from the...