Samurai

[C. Lee]

This thread is for the discussion of Samurai movies.

I recently re-watched Hiroshi Inagaki's Samurai trilogy;
Samurai I: Musashi Miyamoto (1954)
Samurai II: Duel at Ichijoji Temple (1955)
Samurai III: Duel at Ganryu Island (1956)

They star Toshirô Mifune, Kaoru Yachigusa, and Mariko Okada.

The three movies make up one large epic story of a man in search of fame, glory, and the meaning of life. The first movie won the Academy award for BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM in 1955. It has beautiful visuals (I believe it was the first samurai movie to be filmed in color), great acting, story telling, and action scenes. You see the growth of Mifune's character from nobody farmer to the most renown Samurai of his time.

I highly recommend it for the fans of this genre.

 

[TheFlamingCoco]

3 Outlaw Samurai was good, but brutal at times.

Sanjuro, I think is the perfect "rainy day" samurai film.

Seven Samurai is the king of chambara movies. But it is 3.5 hours long.

 

[Loki882]

IDK if it technically counts as a full-on Samurai film, but 13 Assassins was really good.

 

[C. Lee]

IDK if it technically counts as a full-on Samurai film, but 13 Assassins was really good.

The way I see it....if it features a samurai....it can be talked about in here. This isn't a random martial arts movie thread....it is a samurai movie thread. I haven't seen 13 ASSASSINS, but I went to it's IMDB page....and it sure looks like a samurai movie to me. I want to see it now.

 

[Black Narcissus]

Seven Samurai

I rewatched it the other day and I'm still in awe. The whole essence of the current comicbook team up movies is all here. The birth of the outsiders joining as a group to help the helpless is here. Kurosawa takes his time to build the group, it runs about 3hrs and change, but he didn't do it out of vanity or ego, he did it out of necessity. The same formula of characters and story arch would be followed and remade merely years later with the magnificent 7, but the whole modern thing of building a ''special'' team is all here. Watching it all over again now feels like witnessing the birth of something special...All in black and white.

 

[Loki882]

Be warned though, it's very violent. It's a Takashi Miike film after all. Which is kind of the point, but some people might have trouble with it.

 

[Guts]

I've owned the Zatoichi collection since November 2016 and so far I've only gotten around to watching the first 6 movies in the collection.

 

[Black Narcissus]

The way I see it....if it features a samurai....it can be talked about in here. This isn't a random martial arts movie thread....it is a samurai movie thread. I haven't seen 13 ASSASSINS, but I went to it's IMDB page....and it sure looks like a samurai movie to me. I want to see it now.

13 Assassins a very good film. It was still on netflix the last time I checked. It felt like a bloody love letter to seven samurai too, but a whole more violent and bloody.

 

[C. Lee]

Seven Samurai

Great movie. Seen it around 4 times over the years. Definately the #1 must see films of the genre.

Be warned though, it's very violent. It's a Takashi Miike film after all. Which is kind of the point, but some people might have trouble with it.

Violence in a movie like this doesn't bother me in the least. It's things like the SAW movies and others in the torture porn genre I don't care for.

 

[C. Lee]

I've owned the Zatoichi collection since November 2016 and so far I've only gotten around to watching the first 6 movies in the collection.

I've seen around 4 of them (can't remember which ones anymore). Have you seen the TV series?

13 Assassins a very good film. It was still on netflix the last time I checked. It felt like a bloody love letter to seven samurai too, but a whole more violent and bloody.

Thanks...I just checked....it's still on it....I'll watch it next week when my daughter is in school.

 

[Black Narcissus]

Lady Snowblood

A must buy and watch for any lover of this genre. Also a great way in for noobs who don't know where to begin. I also want more folks to be smitten with the lovely Meiko Kaji. A legendary genre actress herself.

 

[TheVileOne]

Everyone should watch The Hidden Blade by Yoji Yamada from 2004. Fantastic movie with great likable characters and an interesting twist.

 

[2kt09]

Barring Kubo, that's the most recent one I saw.

 

[Loki882]

I...Actually like The Last Samurai as well (ducks for cover).

 

[TheVileOne]

I...Actually like The Last Samurai as well (ducks for cover).

I also like The Last Samurai. IMHO it's a flawed movie, but it's still an overall entertaining film and well made. And Ken Watanabe is great in the film. Not to mention, that film really introduced global audiences to Watanabe as well.

 

[KRYPTON INC.]

This thread is for the discussion of Samurai movies.

I recently re-watched Hiroshi Inagaki's Samurai trilogy;
Samurai I: Musashi Miyamoto (1954)
Samurai II: Duel at Ichijoji Temple (1955)
Samurai III: Duel at Ganryu Island (1956)

They star Toshirô Mifune, Kaoru Yachigusa, and Mariko Okada.

The three movies make up one large epic story of a man in search of fame, glory, and the meaning of life. The first movie won the Academy award for BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM in 1955. It has beautiful visuals (I believe it was the first samurai movie to be filmed in color), great acting, story telling, and action scenes. You see the growth of Mifune's character from nobody farmer to the most renown Samurai of his time.

I highly recommend it for the fans of this genre.

I'm always torn about these movies, similar to the ambivalence I have to the great DRAGON: THE BRUCE LEE STORY. Same thing... ****** as fact based biography but just really good films in and of themselves. The last duel is great because it's pretty true to the actual history and isn't embellished to the point of fantasy. For those looking for the real life of Musashi I suggest fact based books on the subject. Again though... The SAMURAI trilogy is great old school film making. A great yarn told with a great cast. I wish I could find a GOOD print of the whole trilogy. Even the Criterion Collection DVD that was out in the early 2000's was pretty shoddy.


I would highly recommend THE TWILIGHT SAMURAI. Very grounded in setting, tone and in it's fight choreography. A great character study.

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And of course the heart breaking re-make HARA-KIRI: DEATH OF A SAMURAI. It's not a fun spectacle but it has a crazy end set piece and it is a realistic representation of the way Feudal Japanese society often crushed people under it's various codes of conduct and class system.

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[BlackFox]

I...Actually like The Last Samurai as well (ducks for cover).

Same here, I know a lot have problems with it but its a stunningly beautiful film and has some great fight scenes in it.

Its a shame 47 Ronin didnt turn out better (The original is excellent from what I hear though).

 

[DarthSkywalker]

I have a lot to say about the movies already named. Seven Samurai is one of my five favorite movies, and I also adore The Samurai Trilogy and 13 Assassins. But to add a couple more.

Sword of Doom, 1966

This was support to be the start of a larger series, but it ended being the only one. I love it. Its beautifully shot, its moody, and it has Mifune in a sizable role.

 

[BlackFox]

One of my favourites:

 

[DarthSkywalker]

Lone Wolf and Cub, 1972

I have seen the first 3 of the 6 films. They aren't typical samurai flicks. With their fair amount of violence, sex and awful parenting, these movies don't paint the way of the samurai as glamorous, and yet these are the most skilled killing machines you will ever see. Also the main character is basically Bond to the ladies, even as he the look of a man who has broken from reality. Which is just hilarious to me.

 

[Loki882]

Funny thing is Max Allan Collins based his comic (and the subsequent movie version) Road to Perdition on Lone Wolf & Cub. Just substitute samurai for gangsters and feudal era Japan for the Prohibition era Midwestern US.

 

[C. Lee]

The Bushido Blade (1981)

Stars - Richard Boone, Toshirô Mifune, Frank Converse, Shin'ichi (Sonny) Chiba, Mako, and Tetsurô Tanba.

I post this one to tell everyone....don't go out of your way to watch or buy this unless you are a completest. Fans of Mifune, Chiba, Mako, or Tanba may want to give it a look....but it's not a good movie.

Basic plot is - America's Commodore Perry (Boone) has arrived in Japan...The Shogun presents him with a ceremonial sword for him to give to our president, a faction of samurai against Westerners steals the sword....samurais go after the sword....Perry sends Captain Hawk (Converse) and a couple of sailors to find it also. The Americans wander around Japan, get in a few fights, and retrieve the sword.

Not as much samurai action as you would hope or think considering the Japanese cast and it being filmed in Japan. It has a racist minstrel show, James Earl Jones has high billing for a glorified cameo, Boone chews the scenery in his last film, and we are supposed to believe that Converse's character can hold his own against samurai.

 

[Black Narcissus]

Blade of the Immortal

The 100th film by Takashi Miike.

I never read the manga, but now I really want to do so. Goddamn. I'm sure there was some stuff in there just for those fans and probably some changes that irritated other fans as well, I wouldn't know.

I had a lot of fun watching this. Beautifully shot. You can tell mister Takashi loves the samurai movie genre, he did another great one in 13 Assassins. I also need to watch Hara-Kiri: Death of a Samurai. What happens when you encounter a deadly samurai who can't die? No time wasted, and we jump straight into kicking ass. The main villain could've been a bit more developed tho. The kid actress is fantastic.

The fight choreography is top notch and it is just fun to see hundreds of folks going at each other with swords.

Easy must own bluray to have for a samurai film collection.

...

 

[Lord]

Lone Wolf and Cub, 1972

I have seen the first 3 of the 6 films. They aren't typical samurai flicks. With their fair amount of violence, sex and awful parenting, these movies don't paint the way of the samurai as glamorous, and yet these are the most skilled killing machines you will ever see. Also the main character is basically Bond to the ladies, even as he the look of a man who has broken from reality. Which is just hilarious to me.

I watched all six. They're very entertaining. A real shame that there never was a proper conclusion to the plot.