Ghost of Tsushima is one of the most anticipated games of 2020, and it finally arrives this month. It's an open-world action game set in the 13th century, and it focuses on a character named Jin Sakai, one of the last samurai warriors on the island of Tsushima during the Mongol invasion. The trailers and footage released by developers Sucker Punch reveal that the game has taken a lot of inspiration of Japanese samurai cinema. So while we wait for the game, now is a perfect time to explore some classics of this movie genre.
Samurai movies--or chambara, meaning "sword fighting"--were made in Japan throughout the 20th century. But it was the huge success of Akira Kurosawa's films in the 1950s and 1960s that truly popularized the genre, inspiring dozens of imitators and homages, and making the genre popular internationally. Kurosawa's Yojimbo and The Seven Samurai were both remade as the classic westerns A Fistful of Dollars and The Magnificent Seven, while the director's Hidden Fortress was an acknowledged influence on Star Wars.
But there's more to samurai cinema than Kurosawa of course. Some movies took a more dramatic, contemplative approach, exploring the traditions and codes of honor of the samurai and ronin (masterless samurai). Others went the other way and cranked up the violence, especially during the 1970s, where jetting geysers of crimson blood became a familiar sight.
So here's our selection of some key samurai movies to check out (and one fantastic film that doesn't technically count but we've included it anyway). Many of these are also available to stream, so we've noted where you can find those on the various streaming platforms out there.
11. Killing (2018)
Streaming: VOD rental
The most recent movie on this list, Killing is the latest film from acclaimed director Shinya Tsukamoto, who is best known for the cyberpunk classic Tetsuo: The Iron Man. As the title suggests, it's a meditation on the act of killing, and how even the most ruthless samurai can be affected by taking lives. Tsukamoto himself plays a veteran warrior who takes a young samurai Tsuzuki under his wing, but things go horribly wrong when the family that Tsuzuki has been living with are threatened by a gang of bandits. It's a small scale but intense movie, with sudden bursts of brutal violence.
10. Harakiri (1962)
Streaming: Criterion Channel
Director Masaki Kobayashi is best known for his 1964 horror anthology Kwaidan, but two years earlier, he made this classic. It's more of an intense melodrama than action movie, as a samurai warrior named Tsugumo comes to the palace courtyard of a feudal lord with the intention committing ritual suicide. Although Kobayashi does eventually deliver the samurai action, the movie really doesn't need it to make it a compelling movie, with the intrigue and tragedy of the main story more than enough. It's also worth checking out Takashi Miike's impressive 2011 remake.
9. The Tale of Zatoichi (1962)
Streaming: Criterion Channel
Zatoichi is one of the most iconic heroes in samurai cinema, and the success of this first movie spawned no fewer than 25 sequels, plus a TV show and a remake. Zatoichi is the legendary blind swordsman, whose sensitive nature conceals his incredible swordplay skills. Shintaro Katsu is perfectly cast, the action is exciting, and it was great way to kick off samurai cinema's longest-running series,
8. Ghost Dog: Way of the Samurai (2002)
Ok, Ghost Dog is not a Japanese samurai movie. Cult director Jim Jarmusch has dabbled in numerous genres over the years, but even when he's making vampire or zombie movies, his films are marked by offbeat storytelling, deadpan comedy, and great performances. Ghost Dog: is one of his best; it's a darkly funny crime drama, in which Forest Whitaker plays the mysterious title character, a hitman who uses an ancient samurai code. The tone, pacing, and themes of honor and tradition have more in common with the traditions of Japanese cinema than Western crime films. Plus the music is by Asian action cinema fan and Wu Tang Clan main man RZA.
7. Lady Snowblood (1973)
Streaming: HBO Max
A huge influence on Tarantino's Kill Bill movies, Lady Snowblood combines samurai cinema with the revenge movie. Japanese icon Meiko Kaji plays a woman who seeks bloody revenge on the men who destroyed her mother's life 20 year earlier. The film is a blend of artistic filmmaking and over-the-top gory violence, as Lady Snowblood is trained in the way of the samurai warrior and uses her skills to chop and hack her way to vengeance. It was followed by the inferior but still entertaining sequel Lady Snowblood: Lovesong of Vengeance.
6. Twilight Samurai (2002)
The Oscar-nominated Twilight Samurai is one of the most acclaimed samurai movies of the modern era. It focuses on Seibeia, a widowed samurai who reunites with his childhood sweetheart Tomoe after many years. It's a slow and thoughtful film, but when the action does arrive it has real emotional power, as Seibeia must face Tomoe's abusive ex-husband in a duel to the death.
5. Yojimbo (1961)
Streaming: HBO Max, Criterion Channel
Yojimbo is one of Kurosawa's most entertaining samurai movies, and its success helped kickstart the spaghetti western genre, when Sergio Leone remade it as A Fistful of Dollars. It adeptly mixes action, comedy, and drama, as Toshiro Mifune's charismatic samurai finds himself playing two rival crimelords against each other as they both compete for his services.
4. Shogun Assassin (1980)
Streaming: Criterion Channel, HBO Max
The six-movie Lone Wolf and Cub series was based on the classic '70s manga about a vengeful samurai who travels the land with his young son in a booby-trapped babycart. In the early '80s, the first two movies--Sword of Vengeance (1972) and Babycart on the River Styx (1973)--were edited together by American producers, redubbed, and released here as a single 90 minute movie titled Shogun Assassin. This version focuses more on the blood-spraying mayhem and less on the drama, but it's still huge fun. Shogun Assassin is available on the Criterion Channel, while the superb original films can also be found on HBO Max.
3. Samurai Rebellion (1967)
Streaming: Criterion Channel
Another samurai classic from Harakiri director Masaki Kobayashi. Like its predecessor, this is a dark and serious story that focuses on a samurai questioning his values and place within the constraints of the feudal system. In this case, a once faithful samurai leads a rebellion against his former lord to protect his son, leading to an exciting and violent final 30 minutes. It's also stunningly directed, with beautiful black-and-white photography and stylish camerawork.
2. 13 Assassins (2011)
Streaming: Hulu
Takaski Miike's 13 Assassins is actually a remake of a 1963 movie of the same title, but it's even better than the original. The movie is set in 1844, and focuses on a group of samurai who come together to assassinate an evil lord. The gripping first hour, as the group are assembled, builds to an incredible final 45 minute battle sequence. What's so impressive about this final scene is that Miike continues to develop the plot and characters alongside the violent mayhem. It's a film that both honors the classics of Japanese samurai cinema and pushes the genre forward.
1. The Seven Samurai (1954)
Streaming: HBO Max, Criterion Channel
Kurosawa's The Seven Samurai isn't just one of the greatest samurai movies, it's one of the best action movies ever made. This epic tale of a group of ronin who team up to protect a village from bandits set a new standard for action filmmaking, with Kuraosawa's mastery of editing and choreography influencing filmmakers for decades to come. The action is matched by the compelling drama, with the three-hour running time allowing Kuraosawa to really explore all seven of his heroes, while the location photography gives it a realistic feel that still feels fresh.
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