Top 20 Greatest Samurai Movies
Need a martial arts showcase? Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’ll be counting down our picks for the most influential and enduring examples of samurai cinema.
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00:00Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we'll be counting down our picks for the most influential
00:15and enduring examples of samurai cinema.
00:24Number 20.
00:25Lone Wolf and Cub, Baby Cart in the Land of Demons
00:28Based on the popular manga series Lone Wolf and Cub, the wandering samurai Ogami Ito returns
00:34to the big screen for the fifth time, alongside his young son Daigoro.
00:38In this installment, Ogami is hired by a clan to prevent their lord from choosing his illegitimate
00:43daughter over his son as a successor.
00:45However, before they can hire him, Ogami must first defeat the clan's five deadly assassins,
00:51each holding part of his payment and crucial information for the mission.
00:55With a dramatic soundtrack, over-the-top scenarios, and exaggerated kill scenes, this
01:01film ups the ante from its already stellar predecessor, Baby Cart in Peril.
01:06Overall, it's a grindhouse-like guilty pleasure that never fails to make the cut.
01:11Number 19.
01:12The Twilight Samurai
01:29This 2002 movie tells the poignant story of Iguchu Sebei, a widowed samurai mockingly
01:34nicknamed Tosagare by his colleagues.
01:37Tosagare, which means twilight, was given to him because at dusk, he would leave the
01:41other samurai to attend to his children and his mother who has dementia.
01:53A low-ranking samurai, Sebei knows that others in the clan are better off, but he finds happiness
01:59in the well-being of his family rather than material possessions.
02:03His life ultimately changes when his childhood friend Tomo resurfaces and ignites feelings
02:08he had long buried.
02:10With the impressive swordplay depicted, The Twilight Samurai is celebrated for its candid
02:15commentary on Japanese society and its endearing tale of a father's love for his children.
02:33Number 18.
02:34The 47 Ronin
02:48This 1941 film wasn't the first cinematic adaptation of Japan's famous 47 Ronin, nor
02:54would it be the last.
02:55It is, however, one of the longest, spanning two parts with a total runtime of nearly four
03:00hours.
03:11The 47 Ronin eschews the stylishness of more contemporary adaptations, such as The Fall
03:17of Akko Castle from 1978.
03:19Instead, it presents a serious-minded study about the repercussions of rash actions, loyalty
03:24and duty during feudal era Japan.
03:26This is heavy and high drama, with acting that's largely somber and understated.
03:32That said, The 47 Ronin is also a well-shot and pioneering example of this classic samurai
03:37drama set within the context of the visual arts.
03:52Number 17.
03:54Samurai Rebellion
04:11The life of a samurai is one of submission to their lord.
04:15But when Isaburo's lord goes too far, the samurai rebels.
04:19The trouble begins when the lord forces Isaburo's son to marry his former concubine, Ichi.
04:25Despite an initial hesitation, the couple eventually falls in love and bear a daughter.
04:30However, Ichi already had a son with the lord, who now becomes next in line for succession
04:35after a death in the lord's family.
04:51When she refuses to return to the lord, Isaburo must take up the sword against his master's
04:56will.
04:57Demonstrating Japan's unjust feudal practices on ordinary individuals, Samurai Rebellion
05:02is a rallying cry against the country's hierarchical society, as well as an award-winning
05:07samurai flick.
05:18Number 16.
05:20Samurai Trilogy
05:34Based on the popular novel of Japanese writer Eji Yoshikawa, this film trilogy tells the
05:39tales of real-life master swordsman and ronin Musashi Miyamoto.
05:44How can we best explain its cinematic treatment?
05:47Samurai Rebellion Rocky Balboa meets Gone With the Wind.
05:50Audiences journey through this adaptation into Musashi's life and his many trials and
05:54duels against several adversaries.
06:09The Samurai Trilogy is a classic demonstration of traditional, deep, nostalgic, and romantic
06:15samurai cinema.
06:16It largely forgoes the gore that would later become associated with samurai films.
06:21Nonetheless, its impact in the genre and Japanese cinema as a whole cannot be overemphasized,
06:26as the first installment won the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film.
06:45Number 15.
06:46Rashomon
07:01Akira Kurosawa is unequivocally one of cinema's finest filmmakers, with many of his efforts
07:06seeing the remake treatment.
07:08Rashomon is one of those films, with many adaptations from Italy to the United States
07:12utilizing the film's plot device of numerous and unreliable narrators.
07:17It's the murder of a samurai that serves as the mystery here, detailed by a woodcutter,
07:22the bandit, the samurai's wife, and the victim himself, who speaks beyond the grave
07:27via a psychic.
07:42Most of the retellings are flawed and possess their own aims against the truth.
07:46Only the woodcutter's story feels objective, yet Rashomon makes it a point to challenge
07:51the veracity of all perspectives.
08:12Number 14.
08:13Kagemusha
08:14It's no accident that the cinema of Akira Kurosawa is highlighted continuously throughout
08:26this list.
08:27There is simply so much of the man's work that's intrinsically linked to the samurai
08:31genre.
08:32Kagemusha proved that this master had not lost his touch at the onset of a new decade,
08:36Kurosawa melds both history and fiction.
08:46The film incorporates the real-life Battle of Nagashino from 1575 within its narrative
08:52of a shadow warrior who infiltrates the shogunate.
08:55Kagemusha was successful with both critics and audiences, too, presenting a stylish and
09:00compelling samurai narrative during the post-blockbuster era of filmmaking.
09:18Number 13.
09:19The Hidden Fortress
09:26Akira Kurosawa's samurai may not exist at the crux of 1958's The Hidden Fortress,
09:30but it's the era and tone of this film that would eventually go on to inspire a young
09:34George Lucas.
09:35Yes, much has been written about the plot similarities and technical flourishes shared
09:40between The Hidden Fortress and Star Wars, but this honestly takes nothing away from
09:45either film.
09:54Akira Kurosawa balances action, energy, and humor here with his tale of two humble peasants
09:59who escort a pair of strangers across enemy lines, only to realize they may not be exactly
10:04what they claim.
10:05The frequent dissolving wipes might feel familiar, sure, but The Hidden Fortress more than stands
10:10on its own two feet as a classic.
10:18Number 12.
10:19Samurai Assassin
10:21Set in 19th century Japan, this film sees the Tokugawa government's isolationist policy
10:26coming to an end when American battleships sail into port.
10:30This arrival sparks chaos, causing the samurai factions to splinter, as well as raising questions
10:35about Japan's future.
10:37To prove his worth as a samurai and learn his true lineage, Nero Tsurakiro is tasked
10:42with assassinating the official who's causing all the turmoil.
10:45Samurai Assassin is a pessimistic, suspense-filled thriller with overtones of fatalism that features
10:51legendary past Kurosawa cast members.
10:54Today, it's celebrated as a gripping Japanese drama that intricately weaves historical events
10:59into its narrative.
11:20In Edo period Japan, a government official secretly hires 13 samurai for an ill-fated
11:25mission to assassinate Lord Naritsugo Matsudaira.
11:29Naritsugo's unchecked lust and madness have already wreaked havoc across the country,
11:35and pose an even greater threat with the prospect of him rising to the Shogunate council.
11:47Loosely based on historic events, 13 Assassins may be the debut samurai epic for the notorious
11:54shock director, Tukashimike, but it also features his signature gore and sadistic tropes.
12:00The film turns the genre on its head by ingeniously portraying the noble samurai obsession with
12:05violence and death as just another fetish.
12:21Throne of Blood
12:36In Akira Kurosawa's reimagining of Shakespeare's Macbeth, General Takatoki Washizu is told
12:42by a witch in an enchanted forest of his imminent rise to power.
12:46The prophecy comes true, and, spurred on by his conniving wife, Lady Washizu, he heads
12:51down a bloodied path of treachery, madness, and murder.
13:04Throne of Blood earned praise from film and literary critics for putting an original twist
13:08on the classic play, while still remaining true to many of the themes highlighted by
13:13Shakespeare.
13:14Shadowy and unsettling, the samurai drama sees Kurosawa expertly tackle the deeply complex
13:20topics of insanity, paranoia, and hubris.
13:34Number 9.
13:35The Sword of Doom
13:37A quote attributed to Game of Thrones author George R.R. Martin states that a sword is
13:42only as good as the man who wields it.
13:44The protagonist of 1966's The Sword of Doom, Ryunosuke Sukuei, is not a good man.
13:51This samurai takes the lives of many throughout the film, and rarely stops to think of any
13:56moral implications behind his actions.
13:59It's only towards the end that Sukuei's confidence in his enviable swordsmanship is shaken, and
14:03he becomes haunted by the ghosts of his victims.
14:06This morality tale is deceptively simple, yet The Sword of Doom weaves its plot threads
14:12so skillfully you'll be engrossed from start to finish.
14:16Number 8.
14:17Sanjuro
14:31Akira Kurosawa's 1962 film Sanjuro is sometimes overshadowed by its predecessor, Yojimbo,
14:38from the year before.
14:39That said, fans should not miss out on this one either, as it introduces some new elements.
14:44The script here incorporates more humor and satire than Yojimbo, while simultaneously
14:49retaining this image of a ronin samurai with wanderlust.
15:07The city-fortress setting also lends Sanjuro a more chaotic and claustrophobic atmosphere.
15:12This feeling as if anything can happen at any time allows Sanjuro to escape its predecessor's
15:17samurai-western archetype and stand on its own two creative feet.
15:33Number 7.
15:34Zatoichi and the One-Armed Swordsman.
15:36Whoever said that movie-universe crossovers were only a modern adventure?
15:41We could have easily populated this list solely with outings starring the famed blind swordsman
15:46Zatoichi.
15:47The tale of Zatoichi made our shortlist for inclusion.
15:57But we ultimately decided to go with this epic showdown between our favorite samurai
16:02and Jimmy Wang Yu as the infamous One-Armed Swordsman.
16:05The action here is very much indicative of the latter franchise's penchant for extravagant
16:10swordplay and visceral violence.
16:13Then again, the Zatoichi franchise historically possesses its own connections with these tropes,
16:18making this matchup an ultimate weekend matinee of unapologetic action.
16:24Number 6.
16:25Shogun Assassin.
16:26We've already highlighted one lone wolf and cub film on this list.
16:42However, if you're new to the samurai genre or just want a taste of what this awesome
16:47franchise has in store, then 1980's Shogun Assassin is for you.
17:08This composite feature combined footage from the first two lone wolf and cub flicks alongside
17:13a roaring synthesizer score from W. Michael Lewis and former Paul Revere and the Raiders
17:18singer Mark Lindsay.
17:20The English dub for Shogun Assassin was also notably sampled by The GZA for his landmark
17:24solo album Liquid Swords.
17:27If all that doesn't sell you, then the unrelenting pace and high-octane action here should do
17:32the trick.
17:42Number 5.
17:43Ran.
17:54It's sort of poetic that Akira Kurosawa, who was himself so often imitated, looked
17:59to another master for inspiration on 1985's Ran.
18:04The film adapts William Shakespeare's famous story of King Lear, together with the historical
18:08influence of a real-life feudal lord of Japan named Morimoto Nari.
18:22Ran served as the third time Kurosawa had followed the bard's lead, with both Hamlet
18:26and Macbeth serving as influences for The Bad Sleep Well and Throne of Blood, respectively.
18:32That said, Ran remains Kurosawa's baby, a resplendent epic that makes the most of its
18:37co-production budget.
18:39Lavish costumes?
18:40Check.
18:41Captivating performances?
18:43Double check.
18:44Ran is an epic-scaled film that pulls out all the stops.
18:52Number 4.
18:54Lady Snowblood franchise.
19:07The 1970s were a golden era for Asian cinema, from kung fu and wuxia epics to samurai films
19:13all being exported to audiences all over the world.
19:17Quentin Tarantino was certainly paying attention during his youth, since he's made no bones
19:21about how influential films such as the Lady Snowblood franchise were to his cinematic
19:26diet.
19:36It's easy to see how Meiko Kaji's performances in both the original Lady Snowblood and its
19:411974 sequel would go on to inspire Tarantino's Kill Bill universe.
19:46Beyond this, however, Lady Snowblood is a visually arresting example of magnetic movie-making,
19:51as it adapts its source material from a Japanese manga.
19:54Kaji's samurai swordplay and mournful, captivating visage serves as the perfect white canvas
20:00juxtaposed against a river of visceral bloodshed.
20:08Number 3.
20:09Harakiri.
20:21When aging ronin Sagumo requests the right to perform his own ritual disembowelment,
20:25known as seppuku, from the feudal lord Seito, his request is refused.
20:30The lord's reasoning for this is the story of Chijiwa Motome, another ronin who Seito
20:35believed tried to defraud his clan of customary monetary dispensation by faking the act.
20:51Tsukumo counters this with his life story, and reveals how Seito mistook the tragedy
20:56behind both his and Motome's tales.
20:59An anti-war masterpiece, Harakiri rips apart the over-glorification of the Bushido honor
21:05code, and exposes its hypocrisy, senseless murders, and its exploitation of the human
21:10condition.
21:18Number 2.
21:19Yojimbo.
21:32This is probably Toshiro Mifune's greatest achievement when it comes to samurai flicks.
21:37When a drifting ronin shows up in a town that's torn apart by warring gangs, he's hired by
21:42the townspeople to be its bodyguard, that is, the titular yojimbo.
22:01He craftily pits the two gangs against each other, until they're drawn into a high noon
22:05showdown that aims to once and for all free the townsfolk from the gangsters' terrible
22:10reign.
22:11As mentioned earlier, the film inspired a sequel the following year titled Sanjuro.
22:15It also served as the basis for Sergio Leone's A Fistful of Dollars, making it truly one
22:21of director Akira Kurosawa's milestone samurai films.
22:52Number 1.
22:53Seven Samurai.
23:01When seven penniless ronins are hired to defend a poor village from marauding bandits, ronins
23:07and villagers must put aside their prejudices to face a common threat.
23:11Stripping away the glory and honor for which the samurai genre is usually known, this Kurosawa
23:16adventure flick features battle scenes that are often inglorious and stark.
23:20It also focuses on how these ronins, villagers, and bandits found themselves living lives
23:26plagued by poverty, violence, and scavenging.
23:41Inspiring countless major motion pictures like The Magnificent Seven with its narrative
23:45and technical innovations, there's no question that Seven Samurai is a timeless masterpiece.
24:03What's your favorite samurai film?
24:05Let us know in the comments!
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