Seven Samurai

100%

Tomatometer

97 Reviews

97%

Audience Score

50,000+ Ratings

A samurai answers a village's request for protection after he falls on hard times. The town needs protection from bandits, so the samurai gathers six others to help him teach the people how to defend themselves, and the villagers provide the soldiers with food. A giant battle occurs when 40 bandits attack the village.

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Seven Samurai

What to Know

Critics Consensus

Arguably Akira Kurosawa's masterpiece, The Seven Samurai is an epic adventure classic with an engrossing story, memorable characters, and stunning action sequences that make it one of the most influential films ever made.

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Critics Reviews

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Peter Bradshaw

Guardian

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.

Rated: 5/5

Oct 27, 2021

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Marjory Adams

Boston Globe

There are many excellencies in [Seven Samurai]. The acting of the men who are unknown to American audiences but whose talents are obvious; the careful building of suspense; the realism of the battle scenes... [and] the beauties of the countryside.

May 4, 2021

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Helen Bower

Detroit Free Press

[Seven Samurai ] rates my unqualified whoops of approval.

May 4, 2021

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Panos Kotzathanasis

Asian Movie Pulse

Seven Samurai” remains a timeless masterpiece. Kurosawa's editing prowess, evident in the climactic sequence, cemented the film's status as a timeless classic, echoing the eternal struggle for justice and sacrifice in feudal Japan

Rated: 10

Mar 3, 2024

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Howard Waldstein

CBR

If Akira Kurosawa's entire body of work is full of forays into different types of stories, then Seven Samurai marks the moment where all of his most pertinent themes coalesce into a single, three-and-a-half-hour film.

Jun 27, 2023

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Austin Faricy

Honolulu Star-Bulletin

As usual in a Kurosawa epic, the film is deliberate about getting started, but once the battle is joined, all is breakneck fury.

Mar 16, 2023

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Audience Reviews

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Ulley T A masterpiece for all time Rated 5/5 Stars • Rated 5 out of 5 stars 06/24/24 Full Review Daniel D If you love Akira Kurosawa's Films then this is a Match watch movie. The Story and art of Direction and the Cinematography during those of times was simple amazing to see. Rated 5/5 Stars • Rated 5 out of 5 stars 06/20/24 Full Review william s This rating might get me murdered by the film police.... but I just don't understand how this is so widely revered/praised. The film is painfully long and an absolute slog to get through. I see how the story has inspired cinema, with many other films being based on the general concept/premise. But there's plenty of "cool premise" films out there that fail in their execution... And that's basically my takeaway. An A+ premise hamstrung by a bloated run time and sub optimal pacing. Rated 2/5 Stars • Rated 2 out of 5 stars 06/19/24 Full Review Jason S Simply one of the best films of all time, in my opinion. This is one of the rare movies that offers more each time I watch it. Hmm absolute masterpiece! Rated 5/5 Stars • Rated 5 out of 5 stars 06/18/24 Full Review Audience Member Que película tan genial, me encanto la historia, los personajes la disfrute muchísimo. Rated 5/5 Stars • Rated 5 out of 5 stars 06/17/24 Full Review DL M Perfect in every sense. My mother first bought me this film when I was about 10 years old. The copy came on two VHS tapes. I watched it so many times that one tape's film inside deteriorated. One of the very few films I can watch over and over and over again. Rated 5/5 Stars • Rated 5 out of 5 stars 06/08/24 Full Review Read all reviews

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Cast & Crew

Akira Kurosawa Director Toshiro Mifune Kikuchiyo Takashi Shimura Kambei Shimada Yoshio Inaba Gorobei Katayama Seiji Miyaguchi Kyuzo Minoru Chiaki Heihachi Hayashida

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Seven Samurai

Seven Samurai (1954)

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Movie Info

Synopsis A samurai answers a village's request for protection after he falls on hard times. The town needs protection from bandits, so the samurai gathers six others to help him teach the people how to defend themselves, and the villagers provide the soldiers with food. A giant battle occurs when 40 bandits attack the village.

Director: Akira Kurosawa
Producer: Sojiro Motoki
Screenwriter: Shinobu Hashimoto, Akira Kurosawa, Hideo Oguni
Distributor: Columbia Pictures
Production Co: Toho Company
Genre: Action
Original Language: Japanese
Release Date (Theaters): Nov 19, 1956, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 29, 2011
Box Office (Gross USA): $271.7K
Runtime: 3h 28m
Sound Mix: Mono
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.37:1)