‘Seven Samurai’: Kurosawa’s Masterpiece of Courage and Humanity

Director Akira Kurosawa’s epic film laid the foundation for a Western genre while giving moviegoers an exciting ride.

Half of the fun is watching the wild Kikuchiyo (Toshiro Mifune, L) play off of the calm Kambei Shimada (Takashi Shimura), in “Seven Samurai.” Toho

NR | 3h 27m | Epic, Action, Drama | 1956

I’ve long been known as a champion of the American Western, particularly the classics. My introduction to the genre wasn’t through tumbleweeds or six-shooters, but through samurai armor and rice fields. Akira Kurosawa’s “Seven Samurai” (1954) was the film that first drew me in.