The Seven Samurai

In 16th century Japan, as proud samurai end up as masterless, wandering ronin and farmers are prostrate under the heel of marauding bandits, a village patriarch counsels resistance. How? Hire samurai, ‘hungry samurai’. Under the calm leadership of Takashi Shimura, seven enlist for a war against 40 mounted bandits, ending with the most hair-raising battle ever filmed. Nothing can top this: Kurosawa’s orchestration of swords, spears, arrows, men, horses, rain, wind, and mud; blazing tracking shots; giant close-ups; chiaroscuro lighting; telephoto lenses that put us underfoot as horses crash; and ensemble performances that give depth to every character, topped by Toshirô Mifune’s eventual transition from manic goofball to tortured, self-hating tragic hero.

 – Film Forum New York