Seven Samurai

Akira Kurosawa's epic masterpiece, Seven Samurai (1954), is constantly brilliant throughout its monstrous running time (three and half hours). In the film, a poor village hires seven samurais to protect them from bandits. The first third of the film shows how they acquire these samurais; the second third involves the planning and construction before the battle; the final third is the long battle itself. The idea might seem simple, but the film's screenplay is stunningly complex.

First of all, Kurosawa's skill to craft 12 essential and unforgettable characters in the film is staggering. There are not many (if any) other films which feature such a flawless and colorful ensemble. The samurai are often mentioned to be the most memorable characters in the film, but I thought the five important villagers were as awesome as the samurai. Even though Toshiro Mifune's Kikuchiyo is the craziest one, the villager Yohei is the endless source of comic relief.

Secondly, despite its length the film is very dense in its narrative. It runs at a fast pace and only the essential is shown onscreen. It is incredible how well Kurosawa brings all the multiple storylines together without a single problem. Also, the film's most remarkable narrative achievement is that you never feel like you are watching a long film.

Thirdly, the content is so rich that there is no way I can comment on everything in a simple review: I would have to make a long essay to cover everything which is awesome in the film's content.

As expected, Kurosawa's form is brilliant in Seven Samurai. The music is not distracting this time - instead it is very effective. His compositions are great yet again. The pacing is brilliant because you dont even realise you have spent 3 hours watching the film until you are at the end. To be completely honest, the film was so involving and story-driven that there were moments when I realised I hadnt paid any attention to the form. I guess that's a testatment to its power.

The whole cast in the film is magnificent. Kurosawa's regulars Mifune and Shimura are the shining stars of the film, but the rest of the cast nearly rival them so there is no imbalance between the performances. I can rarely say it, but the acting in Seven Samurai is FLAWLESS - even though it is melodramatic.

Akira Kurosawa's Seven Samurai is one of the most praised masterpieces ever - and it is rightfully so. Its influence on other films is enormous and there isnt any other film that could even be honestly compared with it.

Score: 10 out of 10