Seven Samurai

Seven stars for seven samurais. Oh, I can’t give that many, can I... So at least five of them. The still unsurpassed original which, unlike its more famous remake, loses only in not having a “star" amongst the baddies. Like Calvera in The Magnificent Seven. The western version also wins in terms of pace. In all other aspects, the Kurosawa version is better and since everybody is aware of the qualities of the American remake, I don’t have to sing the Samurais’ praises any further. Along with Red Beard and High and Low, this is Kurosawa’s best piece. (25/07/2006)

Akira Kurosawa's sprawling work and predecessor to The Magnificent Seven (which I haven't seen yet) still offers a terrific action spectacle with an element of humour and drama after almost six decades. I'm not saying I stared at the screen with my mouth open for the entire three hours, but I just loved the fights, the camerawork and Kikuchi's awkwardness. In short, a great Japanese film that may be longer than it needs to be, but is definitely worth a watch. (20/03/2011)

Kurosawa’s gem is a tad slow for my taste, but precise in every detail. This picture was a foundation stone for so many stories, where a handful of brave men stand up for the weak, even though they are heavily outnumbered. These days we should value these films all the more, because even after all these years they tell us more about people than any others. Your head is on the block and all you think of are your whiskers? (20/05/2013)

One of those movies that are not unnecessarily celebrated. It is a breathtaking opus that is indeed long, but not unnecessarily. There is drama, there is humor, action, and emotions. All of this in the story of a village that just wanted to help against the bandits. Great characters and great scenes that cannot be easily forgotten. Above all, the ending is truly harrowing and shows the form that gratitude can take towards people who died for you. (11/12/2014)

The story does not differ from the more well-known American western classic, perhaps only in that Kurosawa gives more space to the villagers and the viewer can sympathize with them more, whereas in The Magnificent Seven, I was more concerned with how many cowboys would survive than with the farmers. I don't like looking for flaws in classics, but three hours for a story about saving a village from bandits is a bit too much, and especially in the middle third, I found myself glancing at the clock too often. This time, Asian grandiosity did not resonate with me. (02/07/2006)