Akira Kurosawa’s quintessential masterpiece Seven Samurai set the bar pretty high for epic movies. This 1954 classic is considered one of the most influential films of all time and represents the single largest undertaking by a Japanese director at the time.
Seven Samurai is important not only because of its greatness as a standalone film, but because of the genre it kick-started. Kurosawa’s epic is the first film in which a team (yes, even before The A-Team) is assembled to complete a mission of some sort. This concept became a Hollywood favourite, as other films began to use the format to great success. Think The Dirty Dozen or The Guns of Navarone.
Regardless of its possible influence, Seven Samurai is a hell of a film. Clocking in at just a touch under three and a half hours, this is epic stuff. Kurosawa’s purpose here is clear: to create a samurai story with elements of humanism. By giving his characters depth and personalities, he grants them the ability to connect with the audience.
One of the focal points of Seven Samurai is the notion of different classes. The samurai are hired by villagers and never the two castes shall mingle. The villagers, as we learn, have been hostile to samurai in the past (but likely had good reasons). The relationship between the samurai and the villagers is somewhat fragile, to say the least. Yet there is a common enemy in the bandits and the samurai represent the lesser of two evils in the eyes of the farmers.
Kurosawa also examines the nature of the samurai. Why do the samurai take the job? Why would they risk their lives for a mere handful of rice a day? Surely these greatly skilled men can do better. Kurosawa’s explanation of societal roles is at the core of Seven Samurai. The explanation for why the samurai help the farmers is related to the nature of the men and the roles they fulfill in society. It is considered a cultural trait in Japan to fulfill complex social obligations at great peril. This is why both the samurai and the bandits persevere, even to death. They must.
The plot of Seven Samurai is reasonably simple and familiar, so I won’t spend much time on it. There is a village constantly under the terror of bandits. The villagers tire of being relentlessly attacked and pillaged by this heinous crew of baddies, so they aim to recruit mercenaries to fight for their cause. The villagers only have rice to offer in return, however, so the quest to find mercenaries who will fight only for food is a complex one. Eventually, a crew of seven samurai arrange to defend the villagers. The samurai train the villagers to defend their homes and crops, too, and the battle to save the village is on.
The leader of the group is Kambei Shimada (Takashi Shimura). He is the first recruited by the villagers and is very wise and thoughtful. Kambei is very methodical in his approach and is the ideal organizer for this mission. Gorōbei Katayama (Yoshio Inaba) is the second samurai hired. He helps Kambei with the planning of the defence of the village. Shichirōji (Daisuke Katō) has worked with Kambei before and agrees to join as the third samurai in the crew. Heihachi Hayashida (Minoru Chiaki) is the jokester of the group. Katsushirō Okamoto (Isao Kimura) is a young samurai who wants to be Kambei’s disciple. Kyūzō (Seiji Miyaguchi) is a stone-faced swordsman, the most skilled of the group. Finally, Kikuchiyo (Toshiro Mifune) is the loose cannon of the group.
Each samurai has an important role to play and each is given plenty of screen time with which to work. The characters are enticing and the performances are tremendous, allowing for connection to each of the seven samurai. The way the team works together would set the prototype for other films based around this concept, as the various character types are now common in group dynamics.
The depth to Seven Samurai can not be done justice in a review of any length. Essays have been written about that reveal multiple aspects of Kurosawa’s masterpiece, including his use of focus to reveal actions of equal importance in the foreground and background. Kurosawa also uses repeated mirrored scenes to show the growth and change of characters, such as scenes which show the villagers in various attitudes towards the onrushing bandits. One moment the villagers are fearful, yet in the next scene the villagers have become courageous and even vengeful.
Seven Samurai is the ultimate epic film. It should be required viewing for anyone with a love of movies. Kurosawa has created the ultimate action film about social roles and responsibility, as each individual in this classic act with a sense of duty and responsibility. When the characters experience changes or loss or gain, it is no matter because that is their lot in life. At the end of the day, when it is the farmers who have won and the samurai have lost another battle, we understand why.
10/10
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