"Seven Samurai": A Story for the Ages (Review by Liam Scanlan)

Liam Scanlan “Seven Samurai” Review 8/16/2019

Six of the Seven Samurai preparing for their inevitable battle; (from left to right) Katsushiro, Kikuchiyo, Shichiroji, Kyuzo, Heihachi, and Kambei, their leader. *Picture courtesy of "didyouseethatalone.com"*

   Japanese filmmaker Akira Kurosawa has left quite an impact on cinema. Many of his films, including “Rashomon” and “Yojimbo”, have such unique ways of storytelling that they have even influenced several Hollywood blockbusters, including “Star Wars”. But the most unique and influential of all his films is the one and only “Seven Samurai”.


   “Seven Samurai” centers on a village in Sengoku-era Japan whose poor farmers constantly have their stock stolen by a group of bandits. Fed up with all of this, the farmers decide to hire seven samurai, hence the film’s title, to defend their home from said bandits.

Kambei charges to stop part of their army from succeeding. *Picture courtesy of "martialartsactionmovies.com*

   The way the characters interact with each other is so authentic that it fits quite well with the film’s Japanese setting (“Seven Samurai” is in Japanese with subtitles). Also, the way Kanbei, the leader of this here band of samurai socializes with the others is so influential to the rest of the film’s cast of characters, including said samurai, that it helps them plan their strategies better. On the other hand, the way Katsushiro, one of the samurai, who, by the way, looks an awful lot like Samurai Jack, interacts with a female farmer, is both beautiful and emotional at the same time, showing a wide range in the characters’ personalities. The characters themselves are pretty interesting. Kanbei, like I said just now, is both a great motivational speaker and comes up with great strategies, Katsuhiro is a romantic guy with strong aspirations of becoming a samurai, making him a pretty good role model, Gorobei is a chill and kind-hearted guy, Heihachi is good at lifting people’s spirits, Kyuzo is so good at being a swordsman that it makes him cool, Shichiroji has such an urge to work with his old pal Kambei again that makes his character arc rather heartwarming and Kikuchiyo is a loveable buffoon. Are these characters unique or what?


   The acting is something to praise, as the film’s biggest star, Toshiro Mifune, acts so well in this movie that even his humorous quips, which I will get to soon, seem very powerful and inspiring, and that it is no wonder that he was popular in Japan during his heyday. As I have just mentioned, Mifune is very funny, as he plays a samurai named Kikuchiyo, who is so stupid that he can’t do anything right! Oh, and did I mention that he’s drunk, too? If that’s not comedy gold, then I don’t know what is! However, he also helps with the samurai’s morale. For example, in one scene, where they burn down a neighboring village, he helps them come to the conclusion that samurai like themselves can sometimes be violent barbarians, just like the bandits. This is a pretty powerful message, and a pretty influential one, as well, considering plenty of Japanese media, including movies, and anime, have anti-war or anti-violence messages in them, too!

Kikuchiyo mocks the other samurai for thinking that they are without blame. *Picture courtesy of "monologuedb.com"*

   The film’s humor can easily be summed up by the crazy things Kikuchiyo says or does. For example, Kikuchiyo drinks a whole barrel of sake, and even acts subtly perverted to one of the female villagers. Man, what a boob! This kind of silly shenanigans prevent the film from looking tragic or depressing, and can easily put a smile on anyone’s face.


   Its action sequences can be very exciting. For example, people get stabbed bloodlessly by the samurai’s katana very quickly. Another example is that whole buildings get burned down, not just by the bandits, but by the samurai, as well. The choreography enhances the enjoyability of said action sequences, as the way the characters move around is so fast-paced that it makes these scenes even MORE action-packed. 


   The way of storytelling is very unique. The film often mixes the tragic and gloomy with the comic and goofy, that I’ll touch upon later. 

Kambei (left) and Kikuchiyo (right) prove their proficiency for battle. *Picture courtesy of "oncriterion.wordpress.com"*

   The cinematography and direction are done quite well, as the only thing wrong with it is that one of its earlier shots felt sped up for some reason. I cannot help but wonder why. Everything else is pretty good, as it resembles a classic Hollywood film. I cannot help but be reminded of films such as “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea” and “The Wizard of Oz”, both of which are classics in my book.


   The musical score synchronizes well with the scenes. For example, whenever a tragic scene happens, gloomy music plays, complete with an all-male chorus making a gloomy noise, and whenever an epic scene happens, epic oriental-style music plays. One more thing I have to mention is that sometimes the music reminds me of either Godzilla or a classic TV anime from the 1960’s, like “Speed Racer”. This makes sense because it is indeed a Japanese film from the 20^th century.


   The film, as I have mentioned before, brilliantly mixes tragedy with light-heartedness. For example, in one scene, houses are burnt down and a few characters die, while in another, a drunken Kikuchiyo, after revealing himself to be a samurai (This happens very early in the movie, so, technically, I am not spoiling anything), falls down and everybody laughs at him. This for sure makes the film more accessible to a family audience and prevents the film from being too shocking or gloomy, as I have mentioned before.

The flag that represents the Seven Samurai flies high amidst the malicious bandits. *Picture courtesy of "pinterest.com"*

   I expected “Seven Samurai” to be 100% dramatic or tragic, but I was wrong. This only made the film more enjoyable, as I adore films that mix dark with light.


   Since the film is so influential, I can recommend this film to anyone who is looking for a classic to watch, and not just those who are familiar with Kurosawa.


In conclusion, I give “Seven Samurai” a 9/10. Arigato, Kurosawa-san, for making such a great movie!


The End.