Seven Samurai (The Criterion Collection) [Blu-ray] by Criterion by Akira Kurosawa

This film is a must have and no collection is complete without it. Famously recreated by Hollywood as The Magnificent Seven, this Japanese original still stands head and shoulders above any other remake or interpretation. There are no modern superhuman skills displayed here (as is usual in modern martial arts films eg flying fight scenes, as in Crouching Tiger or swordsmen moving at lighting speed, as in Hero). The seven samurai in this film are experienced fighters who are hired in an attempt to defend a peasant village against marauding bandits. The fighting skills displayed are, like the fight scenes, realistic and the final confrontation, which takes place during a torrential downpour, is mind boggling.This is a black and white film, in Japanese with English subtitles. The quality isn't particularly brilliant but this has to be expected considering it was made in 1954. But don't be put off by any of this - you will be drawn into it and, like any great film, you will want more, even though it is 190 minutes in length. Do not expect blood spurting everywhere with guts hanging out and limbs being lopped off wherever possible - great character building, amusing incidents that will make you smile, shocking and sad moments, excellent fight scenes and realism are the order of the day. Watch out for Toshiro Mifune turning up to enlist - I laughed out loud (and still laugh whenever I remember it)I suggest you watch this as a late night movie - it's great!

... it states on the case and in my opinion you get what it says on the case!The film is as old as I am!! I have seen a number of versions over the years, the major difference being the length of the film. The original is very long as it spends a great amount of footage on the first Samurai's funeral. This Blu-Ray version, at 207 minutes, is probably the longest anyone will now see on disk. Whether the original film and the full footage still exists I do not know.When you realise that the greatest western "The Magnificent Seven" is based on this film, and other westerns and the StarWars trilogy are based on other Kurosawa films, you have to see them all to enjoy the artistry of this director."The Seven Samurai" is the pinnacle of Kurosawa's work

This is a classic film I watched may years ago but prompted by my recent trip to Japan I decided to purchase this disc. Never get tired of watching good movies and this is one of the best. A typical Japanese movie where there is always a moral to the story, I watch quite a few Japanese films and find them to have a stronger story line than the average Hollywood movie.If you don't mind the sub titles I highly recommend and the re-mastering makes it even more enjoyable.

This is a really great movie. I always wondered why people raved on about it......now I know. The story, the acting, the characters,the humorous antics. It's a really great movie. Because it is in b/w, don't let that deter you. Somehow, I think that it just wouldn't have had as much going for it had it been made in colour. Being about times gone by, I think it is quite fitting to have been filmed in black and white, colour would not have given it the same substance, the same feel. as what this black and white cinematography provides.

The story line although Robin Hood-like, is given such an in-depth development of the protagonists' background and characterisation, is quite absorbing to watch. No wonder the building up of the seven-man gang took half the screen time. And it's worth every second of it.That Hollywood had sought to imitate it in the Magnificent Seven is just the sincerest praise of this film's quality. Kurosawa is indeed master of his craft.I have a complete collection of his Samurai films.Why did I buy this now? Because my first copy of Seven Samurai somehow got unplayable for some damn inexplicable reason.

This film is surely a classic. It is also such a popular film in some quarters that that there are plenty of what I call bandwagonners. People that ape a popular view, "This film is cool", without really understanding why and in some cases not even having watched the full version of the film. Rather than fashion vanities, they are review trendies!It wasn't until I became more knowledgable of Japanese history and culture, that I felt able to appreciate this level of quality film making and give it 5 stars. I would otherwise maybe have gone with 4. Despite all it's impressiveness, there are parts that are drawn out enough that those of a contempory, modern western nature may find hard to fully concentrate on. For some, there are sequences when not enough is happenning. Also, the subtitling could be better. The film is not perfect, especially in certain technical matters. Although the performances are almost universally excellent.Is this a Drama (as Amazon classify it)? Is it a 17th century set eastern? Action film with period context? World cinema? I find it hard to classify, because there is not enough action to call it a full on action movie. But there is more combat or other martial references than one gets in what would be normally perceived as "Drama".Not everyone can like this movie. And certainly not everyone should blithely give it five stars, but it would be folly to ignore how influential it has been. There are rare benchmarks in most genres (some of which have even been influenced by this one). Star Wars, Seventh Seal, Terminator, Shawshank Redemption, The God Father, Jaws, Akira, Die Hard, The Battleship Potempkin et al. Seven Samurai is a film that rightfully deserves to be "up there".