Seven Samurai turns 70

Seven Samurai was first released on this day in 1954, 70 years ago. It remains one of my all-time favourite films, and Akira Kurosawa is one of my favourite directors.

In the relatively simple setup, after their village is frequently raided by vicious bandits, a group of farmers decide to take a stand and hire seven lone samurai to protect them. This landmark film has inspired countless filmmakers, most famously including George Lucas, Steven Spielberg and spawning remakes, such as John Sturges’ The Magnificent Seven, it remains an all-time cinematic classic and also gave way to the ‘men on a mission’ action cinema trope.

Toshiro Mifune is usually best remembered in the cast, and charismatic as ever, but for me it’s all about Takashi Shimura as the group’s kind-hearted, selfless leader, who exudes strength, resolve and humility in equal measure. The entire cast is excellent. As always with Kurosawa, it’s never about the action, because the build up is slow, immersive and deliberate. Yet when all hell breaks loose, the action disorientates you in its rainy, muddy frenzy when the elements change everything. Even now, the action sequences are terrifying, exhausting and ugly. 

For some of the epic battle sequences Kurosawa knew would be single takes, due to the sheer volume of carnage on screen, he deployed multiple cameras to capture the full scope of chaos and not waste any moment. He was also a meticulous editor. All of this combined was quite radical in its day and helped inform the modern filmmaking blueprint, much of which is used by filmmakers today.

Yet above all else, Seven Samurai is all about the story, its well defined characters, their emotion, and the motivation of each man behind joining this common cause and protecting a village for purely noble reasons, with stunning cinematography to take us on that journey. The classics are recognised as such for a reason, and here to stay.