Movie Review: Seven Samurai (1954) - Akira Kurosawa’s Timeless Classic
Dr. Javanshir Gadimov
"Seven Samurai" is a 1954 Japanese samurai film. It is also considered a masterpiece of Akira Kurosawa. It has also influenced many directors and films. There are many old but very good movies that you always see or hear about but never have the chance to watch them. This movie was in that category for me. I finally watched it and will share my review and opinions.
Japanese epic samurai drama film: Seven Samurai (1954)
First of all, it is an old black-and-white movie. Even though some of the posters on the internet are colored. Secondly, to watch this movie, you need to have a lot of patience. Why? When I decided to watch this movie, I just sat down and started watching. After an hour and a half, I thought the movie would be over soon. But I still felt like something was missing for the movie to end. So, when I checked how long it was, I was really surprised. The movie is 207 minutes long, more than 3 hours.
Nowadays we are used to watching 40-45 minute TV series, so a movie this long feels longer than it is. Still, it is definitely worth watching. I had to stop and watch the rest the next day.
Historical movie
The story takes place in 1586, during the Sengoku period of Japanese history. It begins with a village that has a big problem. Bandits have already come and taken what they have, and they have very little. Mostly, they have the rice they harvest. When they accidentally learn that the bandits will come again after they harvest, they make a plan.
The villagers plan to hire four samurai or ronin (masterless samurai) to protect them from the bandits' attack. If the bandits come again, they will take all their harvest, and the villagers will starve to death that winter. So they go to the city to look for samurai. But they don't have much to offer them, only three meals a day in exchange for protection.
As we can see in the movie, even though samurai are masters of the sword, some of them really don't have any money, not even food. At first, the villagers are not successful, but when they return to the village, they are able to bring back seven samurai instead of four.
The movie shows two different classes in Japanese society. You might think that one class is higher than the other, but eventually, as the leader of the samurai group says, it is the villagers who won the fight.
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Lots of action
One thing that will catch your attention is that director Akira Kurosawa loves action. Especially during the fight and other scenes, you will see a lot of characters and people running around. The movements in the background, such as rain and water, also keep the movie from getting boring.
Another thing is that even though we can say that the leader of the seven samurai is Kambei Shimada (actor Takashi Shimura), Kikuchiyo (Toshiro Mifune) gets more attention than any other character. He lies about being a samurai, but eventually proves to be better than anyone else. Perhaps even Kurosawa himself could not have predicted that this role would receive so much attention.
Lastly, even though this 1954 movie is old for our time, a true movie lover should not miss it.
A Timeless Classic That Still Holds Up Today
The film is known for its epic scope, its complex characters, and its realistic action sequences. It is considered to be one of the greatest films ever made, and it has influenced countless other films, including The Magnificent Seven (1960) and Star Wars (1977).
I believe that Seven Samurai is still a relevant film today because it deals with themes that are still important, such as the importance of community, the power of teamwork, and the struggle for survival. The film is also a visually stunning and exciting experience, and it is sure to entertain audiences of all ages.
Original title: Shichinin no samurai
IMDb - 8.6/10
Rotten Tomatoes - 100%
Directed by Akira Kurosawa
Produced by Sōjirō Motoki
Screenplay by Akira Kurosawa, Shinobu Hashimoto, and Hideo Oguni
Starring: Takashi Shimura
Toshiro Mifune
Seiji Miyaguchi
Japanese epic samurai historical drama movie
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