SummarySeven Samurai (Shichinin no samurai) tells the story of a sixteenth-century village whose desperate inhabitants hire the eponymous warriors to protect them from invading bandits.
Directed By:Akira Kurosawa
Written By:Akira Kurosawa, Shinobu Hashimoto, Hideo Oguni
Seven Samurai
Metascore
Universal Acclaim
98
User score
Universal Acclaim
9.0
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Top Cast
Metascore
Universal Acclaim
100% Positive
7 Reviews
7 Reviews
0% Mixed
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
100
The glorious vigour and strength of this film is presented with such theatrical relish and flair: its energy flashes out of the screen like a sword.
100
It's impossible to imagine how the action genre would have developed without Akira Kurosawa's watershed 1954 movie Seven Samurai.
User score
Universal Acclaim
93% Positive
571 Ratings
571 Ratings
3% Mixed
20 Ratings
20 Ratings
3% Negative
20 Ratings
20 Ratings
Aug 16, 2025
10
I've seen this movie many times; more than any other (perhaps a dozen times). It has incredible depth. It never doesn't move me.
100
The legendary Mifune leads a superb cast, and Kurosawa's kinetic camera keeps the adventure sizzling with energy and wit from start to finish.
100
Much imitated, still unsurpassed. By critical consensus one of the best movies ever made, The Seven Samurai covers so much emotional, historical, and cinematic ground that that it demands to be viewed over and over again.
100
Moves like hot mercury, and it draws a viewer so thoroughly into its world that real life can seem thick and dull when the lights come up.
90
On that simple framework and familiar story line, director Kurosawa has plastered a wealth of rich detail, which brilliantly illuminates his characters and the kind of action in which they are involved. He has loaded his film with unusual and exciting physical incidents and made the whole thing graphic in a hard, realistic western style.
90
Rich in detail, vivid in characterization, leisurely in exposition, this 207-minute epic is bravura filmmaking -- a brilliant yet facile synthesis of Hollywood pictorialism, Soviet montage, and Japanese theatricality that could be a B western transposed to Mars.
Mar 12, 2025
10
Seven Samurai by Akira Kurosawa is widely regarded as one of the greatest films ever made, and for good reason. Released in 1954, this cinematic masterpiece redefined storytelling and set a benchmark for epic filmmaking. The film follows a group of seven ronin (masterless samurai) who band together to protect a small village from marauding bandits. While the premise may seem straightforward, Kurosawa's execution elevates it to an extraordinary **** film's brilliance lies in its depth and attention to detail. Each of the seven samurai is given a distinct personality and backstory, making them feel like real, multidimensional characters. The villagers, too, are portrayed with nuance, highlighting the complex dynamics between the protectors and the protected. Toshiro Mifune's performance as Kikuchiyo is particularly iconic, blending humor, pathos, and raw energy.Kurosawa's direction is nothing short of revolutionary. His use of dynamic camera movements, innovative editing techniques, and meticulous framing creates a sense of scale and intensity that remains unmatched. The battle sequences are masterfully choreographed, blending chaos and clarity in a way that keeps viewers on the edge of their seats. The film's pacing, despite its three-and-a-half-hour runtime, is impeccable, allowing moments of action to be balanced with quieter, introspective scenes.Beyond its technical achievements, Seven Samurai is a profound exploration of themes such as honor, sacrifice, and the human condition. It delves into the moral complexities of heroism and the societal structures that shape our lives. The film's influence is immeasurable, inspiring countless works across genres, including the Hollywood remake The Magnificent **** every sense, Seven Samurai is a timeless masterpiece that continues to captivate audiences and filmmakers alike. It is a film that demands to be experienced, not just watched, and its legacy is a testament to the genius of Akira Kurosawa.
Oct 19, 2024
6
It's easy to understand why Seven Samurai is considered an all time classic but nearly seventy years after its initial release it feels a little too dated to be truly enjoyable.
Mar 23, 2020
6
although its revolutionary for its time, you may find your self not excited enough by the battles and the way characters are being played.
Jul 3, 2016
0
Probably the most boring movie I've ever seen. It starts out pretty slow and all the way to the ending is slow. I swear that if I had kids, they will probably switch the movie in 5 minutes.
Mar 15, 2011
0
Its pretty hilarious that people unanimously pretend to like this movie. It may have been amazing almost 60 years ago but today its kind of like watching a play; its not much fun and you realize how bad entertainment must have been back then for people to have enjoyed it. This movie made sense in 1954 japan like Islam made sense in 6th century arabia; understandable people were into it at the time, but today its just a work of fiction composed by a borderline **** person. This movie makes Bio-Dome look like a magnum opus of cinema, in fact Pauley Shore would have really improved the Seven Samurai, add in a Baldwin and it might be watchable by a non-pretentious non-film student viewer.
