In the United States, they used to have cowboys. In Europe, they used to have medieval knights and swashbucklers. Japan had its samurai. The Japanese aristocracy has been an exciting archetype in pop culture for years, not least in Japanese cinema.
At one time, samurai films, also known as Chanbara in its homeland, were the leading genre in Japan’s filmmaking environment, and samurai films were routinely well-pumped in the 1970s.
Today, they are rarely present. Iconic stars, such as Toshiro Mfume, either grew old or died, audience tastes evolved, and the Japanese film industry declined. This means that centuries-old stories of heroism and conflict are no longer big business and audience minds.
With the recent release of Ghost of Tsushima, many are again talking about the subgenre. The list is perfect for you if you’re looking for some of the greatest samurai films.
Seven Samurai
Top cast – Takashi Shimura · Kambei Shimada , Yukiko Shimazaki · Wife , Kamatari Fujiwara · Farmer Manzo. Toshirô Mifune · Kikuchiyo Keiko, Tsushima · Shino
Year:1954
Genre: Action
Original language: Japanese
Director: Akira Kurosawa
Producer: Sojiro Motoki
Runtime: 3 hrs 28 m
Subscription: Vudu, Prime Video, HBO Max, Apple Tv
IMDb Rating: 8.6/10 ·
The eternal grandmaster of Japanese cinema, Akira Kurosawa, dominates this list. Choosing a perfect film by the author would be a tough fight. However, Seven Samurai would be an ideal choice for the top position. When robbers regularly pursue a group of villagers, they take matters into their own hands by hiring a crack team of borrowed guns to fight against the robbers.
The village’s peasants, exploited by bandits, hire an old samurai for defense, who assembled six other samurai to join him. While the samurai teach the peasants to protect themselves, the village is assaulted by an army of bandits.
Tales of Ugetsu
Top cast -Masayuki Mori · Genjurô , , Kinuyo Tanaka · Miyagi , Eitarô Ozawa · Tôbei, (as Sakae Ozawa). Machiko Kyô · Lady Wakasa , Mitsuko Mito · Ohama
Year:1953
Genre: Fantasy
Original language: Japanese
Director: Kenji Mizoguchi
Producer: Masaichi Nagata
Subscription: Prime Video, HBO Max, Apple Tv
Runtime: 1hr 36m
IMDb Rating: 8.2/10
Based on the book of Ueda Akinari and directed by highly praised film director Kenji Mizoguchi, Tales of Ugetsu was one of Japan’s first and most important films. It restored itself after the nightmare of the Second World War.
The film is a romantic fiction that aims at the efforts of two farming families and the twists and turns of their fortunes.
The film is also visually beautiful and received an Oscar nomination for Best Costume Design.
Throne of Blood
Top cast – Toshirô Mifune · Taketoki Washizu , Isuzu Yamada · Lady Asaji Washizu , , Akira Kubo. , Minoru Chiaki · Yoshiaki Miki, Takashi Shimura · Noriyasu Odagura
Year: 1957
Genre: Drama
Original language: Japanese
Director: Akira Kurosawa
Producer: Akira Kurosawa, Sojiro Motoki
Runtime: 1hr 48m
Subscription: Prime Video, HBOMax, Apple Tv
IMDb Rating: 8.1/10
In this stunning film, Shakespeare’s Macbeth is shifted to ancient Japan, adapted by Akira Kurosawa from Bard’s classic.
A battle-hardened general, driven by his aspiring wife, works to fulfill a prediction that he will become the master of the Spider’s Web Castle. Lady Asaji Washizu is determined to usurp power through her husband, and the two embark on a bloody fight in which alliances are broken, and bodies continue to pile up.
Just remember that even if that scene is unforgettable, everything else up to that point is memorable in the first place.
Yojimbo
Top cast-Toshirô Mifune · Sanjuro Kuwabatake , Tatsuya Nakadai · Unosuke – Gunfighter , ,Isuzu Yamada Yôko Tsukasa · Nui. , Eijirô Tôno · Gonj – Tavern Keeper
Year:1961
Genre: Adventure, Comedy
Original language: Japanese
Director: Akira Kurosawa
Producer: Akira Kurosawa
Runtime: 1hr 50m
Subscription: Prime Video, HBO Max, Apple Tv
IMDb Rating: 8.2/10
Kurosawa is back again, with a roaring tale of a rebellious samurai drawn into a bitter war between rival clans, which inflicts chaos on a small village. This is more impressive when you consider the variety of stories they tell, the Kurosawa and Mifune collaboration bunch.
Yojimbo is a lot lighter than what they’ve done. It’s still full of suspense and has some of Kurosawa’s filmography’s most enjoyable fight scenes.
Above all these, this film is an excellent tool for Japan’s supreme leading man, the inimitable Toshiro Mifune, whose personality and physicality appearance in this film is an explosion of entertainment.
Hara-kiri
Top cast ; Tatsuya Nakadai · Hanshiro Tsugumo ; Akira Ishihama · Motome Chijiiwa ; Shima Iwashita · Miho Tsugumo ; Tetsurô Tanba · Hikokuro Omodaka ; Masao Mishima.
Year: 1962
Genre: Drama
Original language: Japanese
Director: Masaki Kobayashi
Producer: Tatsuo Hosoya
Runtime: 2 hrs 15 min
Subscription: Prime Video, Apple Tv
IMDb Rating: 8.6/10
Set during the late Tokugawa period, this film is about the tale of Tsugumo Hanshiro, created by the Tatsuya Nakadai, a samurai who fails his respectable societal position. With nowhere to go, he struggles to reintegrate himself with the world and resolve his courageous past with the tough reality of the present.
A message of the human spirit and a reflection on the folly of death, the film is a deep meditation on the end of an era and a look at the sorrowful role of the samurai class in ancient Japan.
Hara-Kiri: Death of A Samurai
Top cast – Kôji Yakusho · Kageyu Saito , Naoto Takenaka · Tajiri , Hikari Mitsushima · Miho , Eita Nagayama · Motome Chijiiwa , Munetaka Aoki · Hikokuro Omodaka
Year:2011
Genre: History, Drama
Original language: Japanese
Director: Takashi Mike
Producer: Jeremy Thomas, Toshiaki Nakazawa
Author: Kikumi Yamagishi
Runtime: 2 hrs 6 m
Subscription; Vudu, Prime Video
IMDb Rating: 7.3/10
A compelling story of revenge, the pathway of the soul, and the prospect of redemption, Hara-Kiri: Death of a Samurai can be haunting for anyone who only knows Miike as a director of absolute brutality, physically and mentally. Hara-kiri still has that aspect, but the procedure is done with an eye to what can only be called control.
When you anticipate this film to go in one direction, it pulls you in another. Emphasis is placed on developing a character within the larger theme of vengeance.
Sanjuro
Top cast -Toshirô Mifune · Sanjûrô Tsubaki, Keiju Kobayashi · The Spy , , the Chamberlain , Yûzô Kayama. , Tatsuya Nakadai · Hanbei Muroto, Yûnosuke Itô · Mutsuta
Year: 1962
Genre: Adventure, Action
Original language: Japanese
Director: Akira Kurosawa
Producer: Ryuzo Kikushima, Tomoyuki Tanaka
Runtime: 1hr 36m
Subscription: Prime Video, Apple Tv
IMDb Rating: 8/10
Kurosawa and Toshiro Mifune reunite for this sequel to Yojimbo. When the ronin of Mifune listens to nine young samurai’s plans to fight against their corrupt superintendent, he again decides to take the issues into his own hands and lead them and their fight for justice.
He helps a young man and his fellow gang try to save his uncle, who has been trapped and detained by a dishonest superintendent.
A subtext of violence and the futility of war runs throughout the movie. These are still relatively mild, especially regarding Kurosawa’s filmography. Yet, beneath Mifune’s rambunctious, ruthless samurai’s brazen, unforgettable swagger lies something far more tragic.
Shogun Assassin
Top cast -Tomisaburô Wakayama , Kayo Matsuo , Minoru Ôki , Shôgen Nitta , Shin Kishida.
Year: 1982
Rating: R
Genre: Adventure, Sports
Original language: Japanese
Directors: Kenji Misumi, Robert Huston
Producer:Shintaro Katsu; Hisaharu Matsubara; David Weisman ;
Runtime: 1 hr 26 m
IMDb Rating: 7.3/10
Shogun Assassin is one of the bloodiest and most exciting films on this list. A samurai assassin is betrayed by his lord, who sends ninjas to kill him. But they don’t kill him. Instead, his wife is cut off, leaving him to protect himself and his infant son.
Samurai then gives his son the option of following him in his quest for revenge or crawling to the sword or ball to join his mother in heaven. The son picks up the sword and joins his father, and their journey for revenge begins.
Then he and his four-year-old son run away and become assassins for hire, beginning a journey of blood and violent death.
Vowing vengeance, he slashes everyone unlucky who dares to cross his path. And quite a few people do.
Kagemusha
Top cast -Tatsuya Nakadai · Shingen Takeda , Ken’ichi Hagiwara · Katsuyori Takeda ,Hideji , Tsutomu Yamazaki · Nobukado Takeda, Jinpachi Nezu · Sohachiro Tsuchiya
Year:1980
Rating: PG
Genre: History, Drama
Original language: Japanese
Director: Akira Kurosawa
Producer: Akira Kurosawa
Runtime: 2 hrs 59 m
Subscription: Vudu, Prime Video, Apple Tv
IMDb Rating: 7.9/10
It featured the 1575 Battle of Nagashino; the film centers on a petty criminal who got a chance to change the course of history for many clans. The film revolves around him. When a warlord dies, a farmer thief is called upon to imitate him and then finds himself troubled by the warlord’s spirit and ambitions. There are many characters and moments to take, and sometimes it won’t fulfill your expectations.
It’s a beautiful story set on a stage that only Kurosawa could have created. By recreating the splendor and competition of war in feudal Japan, Kurosawa creates a historical epic that is also a meditation on the nature of power.
Shogun’s Shadow
Top cast -Ken Ogata · Igo Gyobu , Toshihiro Asari · Sobue Iori , , Seizô Fukumoto. , Norihito Arai · Koori Deneemon,Shin’ichi Chiba · Iba Shoemon as Sonny Chiba
Year:1989
IMDb Rating: 7/10 ·
As the story boils down to its essentials, a samurai protects a young charge from a politically
ambitious plot. Although you can spot moments of deception and intrigue far away, it’s not possible to dislike a movie with prominent actors like Ken Ogata and Sonny Chiba involved in bloody fights every 15 minutes
If you’re looking for something emphasizing brutal mayhem, excellent, sometimes awkward choreography, and a story that serves those things up expertly, then Shogun’s Shadow is perfect.
Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai
Principal cast- Forest Whitaker · Ghost Dog, John Tormey · Louie, Dennis Liu · Chinese Restaurant Owner. Henry Silva · Ray Vargo, Cliff Gorman · Sonny Valerio.
YEAR ; 1999
Rating: R (Strong Violence Language)
Genre: Crime, Drama
Original Language: English
Director: Jim Jarmusch
Producer:Jim Jarmusch
Runtime: 1hr 56m
Subscription: HBOMax
IMDb Rating: 7.5/10
This film is a character study that aspires to take its time when necessary, pacing things where it counts and implicitly trusting the actors.
Jim Jarmusch directs this film starring Forest Whitaker as a hitman who is double-crossed by his mob recruits and must fight for his life. In one of his finest roles, Forest Whitaker portrays a commanding calm in his portrayal of a Zen contract killer working for a jerk, a modern man who steadfastly adheres to the ideals of the Japanese warrior code despite chaos and violence spiraling around him.
The ghostly dog appears in modern-day Brooklyn with a sword, so it seems as far from Chanabra as possible.
The Twilight Samurai
Top cast ; Hiroyuki Sanada · Seibei Iguchi ; Rie Miyazawa · Tomoe Iinuma ; Nenji Kobayashi · Choubei Kusaka ; Ren Ôsugi · Toyotaro Koda ; Mitsuru Fukikoshi.
Year: 2002
Genre: Drama
Original language: Japanese
Director: Yoji Yamada
Producer: Hiroshi Fukazawa Shigehiro
Runtime: 2 hrs 9 min
IMDb Rating: 8.1/10
An ideal platform for the incredible talent of actor Hiroyuki Sanada who received an honorary MBE thanks to his theatre work in the UK, the film tells the story of an honorable, underprivileged samurai who must fight through chaotic times, the superstitions of others and affair tinged with ennui.
Ghost Dog is lively, even when he moves softly. This comes from Whittaker’s masterful handling of the character in a film that traverses themes and tones with occasionally disturbing ease.
Blade of the Immortal
Top cast – Takuya Kimura · Manji , Sôta Fukushi · Anotsu Kagehisa , , Erika Toda · Makie Otono-Tachibana. , Hana Sugisaki · Rin Asano, Hayato Ichihara · Shira
Year: 2017
Rating: R (Gory violence and carnage)
Genre: Action, Adventure, Fantasy
Original language: Japanese
Director: Takashi Mike
Producer: Jeremy Thomas, Misako Saka, Shigeji Maeda
Subscription: Vudu, Amazon Prime, Apple Tv
Runtime: 2 hrs 31 min
IMDb Rating: 6.7/10
Takashi Mike’s other arrival on this list is an alteration of the famous manga, which tells the story of a cursed, immortal swordsman who must kill 1,000 evil men to get his death back.
In 2017, while previewing the film during its 11 am screening at the London Film Festival, Miike said he intended to see it at night-time and without any mistake that was a Friday night movie of the highest quality, with corpses in piles and a hero who can’t be stopped no matter how many people throw swords at him.
13 Assassins
Top cast – Kôji Yakusho · Shinzaemon Shimada , , Yûsuke Iseya · Koyata Kiga, Arata Furuta, Takayuki Yamada · Shinrokuro Shimada, Ikki Sawamura · Gunjiro Mitsuhashi
Year: 2010
Rating: R (some disturbing images | sequences of gory violence | brief nudity)
Genre: Action, Adventure, History, Drama
Original language: Japanese
Director: Takashi Mike
Subscription; Vudu, Amazon Prime, Apple Tv
Runtime: 2 hrs 6 m
IMDb Rating: 7.5/10
Takashi Miike never made a boring film, but he’s at the high point of his powers in 13 Assassins, his masterpiece. When a brutal warlord warns to restore hard-won peace to medieval Japan, a rogue samurai must band together to cut him down and his army – in bloody waters.
The remake of the 1963 film is one of his best. If you’re starting to learn about this guy, this story of taking a bold, brutal strike against the evil leader of the Akashi Clan is as good as starting anywhere.
Rurouni Kenshin
Top cast , Takeru Satoh · Kenshin Himura, as Satô Takeru, Munetaka Aoki · Sanosuke Sagara , Gô Ayano · Gein Emi Takei · Kaoru Kamiya Yû Aoi · Megumi Takani
Year:2012
Genre: Action, Drama
Original Language: Japanese
Director: Keishi Ohtomo
Producer: Naoki Sato
Runtime: 2h 14m
IMDb Rating: 7.4/10
Rurouni Kenshin is a famous and popular manga and anime about a converted samurai who achieved fame in the 1990s in their home country and abroad.
In the first movie, set during the Meiji Restoration, an ex-assassin vows not to take another life and devotes his existence to wandering the land and helping others. However, his dignified ways are soon tested when he comes up in opposition to ruthless killers.
With excellent fight choreography and a cast of fresh faces, the movie perfectly describes the source material’s spirit, with its themes of redemption, the desire for inner calm, and what it means to help others.
Rurouni Kenshin- Final Chapter Part 1
Top cast – Takeru Satoh · Kenshin Himura, (as Satô Takeru) , Emi Takei · Kaoru Kamiya , Yû Aoi · Megumi Takani , Munetaka Aoki · Sanosuke Sagara ,Gô Ayano · Gein
Year:2021
Genre: Action, Adventure
In Original Language: Japanese
Director: KC VIII
Producer: Hiroyoshi Koiwai, Satoshi Fukushima
Runtime: 2nd 18th
Subscription: Netflix
IMDb Rating: 7.4/10
In 1864, the samurai Kenshin was known as Himura Battosai, a deadly assassin whose fierce sword killed more than a hundred people in a year. When he rescues a young woman, Tomoe Yukishiro, from some thugs at an inn, the two slowly develop an attraction that leads to a marriage.
The story of how Kenshin acquired his trademark star-shaped scar is revealed in this prequel, which also serves as the final installment of this live-action drama.
Rurouni Kenshin: Kyoto Inferno
Top cast -Takeru Satoh · Kenshin Himura, as Takeru Satô, Tatsuya Fujiwara · , Yôsuke Eguchi · Hajime Saito , Yûsuke . , Emi Takei · Kaoru Kamiya ,Makoto Shishio
Year:2014
IMDb Rating: 7.5/10
Amazing fight scenes and swordplay portray the soul of the classic franchise in this exciting live-action version. Ex-assassin Kenshin Himura and his friends are called into action again when a ghost from a bygone era rises to inflict destruction.
Ran
Top cast -Tatsuya Nakadai · Lord Hidetora Ichimonji , , Daisuke Ryû · Saburo … Akira Terao · Taro Takatora Ichimonji, Jinpachi Nezu · Jiro Masatora Ichimonji
Year;1985
Rating: R
Genre: History, Drama
Original language: Japanese
Director: Akira Kurosawa
Producer: Serge Silberman, Masato Hara
Runtime: 2 hrs 40 m
Subscription: Vudu, Prime Video, Apple Tv
IMDb Rating: 8.2/10
This is the final Kurosawa film on this list. Ran was the most high-priced Japanese film at its release, with over $12 million budget.
An adaptation of Shakespeare’s King Lear tells the story of ruler Hidetora Ichimonji, who decides to divide his kingdom between his three sons only to experience a brutal power struggle.
Two hundred horses were used in battle sequences, and artisans handcrafted over 1,400 uniforms and armor. The director was granted special permission to film in the ancient castles of Meiji and Kumamoto, and he constructed a castle on the inclination of Mount Fuji to burn it down during the film’s climax scene.
Zatoichi
Principal cast; Takeshi Kitano · Zatôichi, Yui Natsukawa · O-Shino, Hattori’s Wife, Michiyo Yasuda · Aunt Oume, Taka Guadalcanal. Tadanobu Asano · Hattori Genosuke
Year: 2003
Rating: R
Genre: Action, Adventure
Original language: Japanese
Director: Takeshi Kitano
Producer: Shintaro Katsu
Runtime: 1hr 55m
Subscription: Vudu, Apple Tv
IMDb Rating: 7.5/10
Zatoichi was an imaginary character who starred in a long-operating TV series and several movies before being brushed off for this remake, consideration of the renowned Takeshi Kitano, who starred and directed.
The story turns around a blind, peace-loving swordsman who roams medieval Japan before being drawn into a battle where he is tested to his limits.
Ninja Scroll
Top cast – Kôichi Yamadera · Jubei Kibagami, Takeshi Aono · Dakuan, Osamu Saka · Masked Samurai , Emi Shinohara · Kagero Daisuke Gôri · Genma Himuro
Year:1993
Genre: Action, Animation
Original Language: Japanese
Director: Yoshiaki Kawajiri
Producer: Haruo Sai
Runtime: 1h 30m
IMDb Rating: 7.8/10
While the samurai has been part of the anime for as long as it has happened, few film illustrations can stand along with the titles covered here. Ninja Scrolls, released almost 30 years ago, and a bit of a growing number of anime titles that found some conventional success, stands out as one such example.