10 Most Rewatchable Samurai Movies, Ranked
A bastion of international cinema that has provided some of the all-time greatest action epics ever put to the screen, samurai movies have become a defining subgenre of the Japanese film industry. Renowned for their stylistic presentation, their enchanting stories, and their underlying yet pointed thematic focus, many of the best samurai films date back to the mid-20th century, but there have been some gems from more recent times as well that have been a joy to revisit time and time again.
Taking place in feudal Japan, the epic follows a petty thief who is recruited to be the double of an aging warlord on account of his uncanny resemblance to the military leader. However, when the warlord dies, the lowly crook must pose as the commander and lead his troops to war against a rival army. Epic and sprawling, with an arresting commitment to color, Kagemusha is an endlessly rewatchable samurai classic that presents the master of the genre at his most ambitious.
The pinnacle of adventure cinema, The Hidden Fortress is perhaps most famous to modern audiences for its significant influence on the American film industry, with it being a major inspiration for Star Wars. Still, The Hidden Fortress excels as a fantastic and enjoyable film in its own right, blending astonishing camerawork, a pacy screenplay, action aplenty, and splashes of comedy to be a Japanese classic that only gets more entertaining with each revisit.
A scintillating and thoroughly rewarding film, it uses samurai aesthetic to powerful effect. The revenge tale is realized with rousing brilliance courtesy of Toshiya Fujita's measured yet distinct direction and a note-perfect lead performance from Yuki Kashima. In addition to being a primary influence on Kill Bill, Lady Snowblood also stands as an enrapturing samurai film that excels at bringing the genre’s penchant for stylistic yet powerful violence to the screen.
4 'Ran' Directed by Akira Kurosawa Close A spellbinding and stylistic masterpiece from Akira Kurosawa released decades after several of his most revered samurai movies, Ran thrives as a mesmeric period war film that sees the Japanese director adapting another Shakespearian classic in 'King Lear'. It follows the feud that grows between three brothers when their father, a great ruler, divides his kingdom so that each of them can rule.
2 'Rashomon' Directed by Akira Kurosawa Viewed by many to be the greatest film of Akira Kurosawa’s career, Rashomon is a masterpiece of perspective, judgment and the subjectivity of truth set in Heian-era Kyoto. It follows three men who reflect on a recent trial in which a bandit was accused of murdering a samurai and raping his wife.
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10 Most Rewatchable Philip Seymour Hoffman Movies, RankedJ.S. Gornael is a writer at Collider who focuses on classics, Oscar nominated films, and The Simpsons. He also writes/edits reviews for IndieReader.
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