Seven Samurai (1954)

 

You want a quintessential action film? Or perhaps even the very first action film truly worthy of that title? 

Look no further than this absolute gem, this work of art by the legendary director Akira Kurosawa. This film has already has heaps of praise laden upon its brow, so the only thing I can possibly do is ladle some more on top. 

Yes, this is thàt good. 

A remote farm village is under threat by bandits, as they roam the land and seek only to plunder. The farmers are absolutely distraught, because they don't have that many crops left and they certainly aren't equipped to fight trained bandits. So they hatch a plan to go out and find some wandering samurai to defend them. Things don't go that well for the hapless farmers, as they honestly have no idea which ronin are honourable and which are mere bastards. They are running low on their rice reserves when they encounter Kambei, an elderly samurai who almost immediately feels sorry for the poor farmers and decides to give them a hand. With his help and that of an eager young samurai named Katsushiro, they manage to gather six samurai. 

But pretty soon, they are followed by a rather quaint and overly enthusiastic rogue called Kikuchiyo. He eventually proves his worth and is taken in, so now the number reaches seven. The samurai make plans and fortify the village and then they can only wait for the bandits to strike. This all culminates in a battle that is both hard fought and exhilarating, as wave after wave of bandits is stopped, not without some painful losses for the samurai and villagers along the way. 

Just for your consideration: this film is pretty long. It's broken up by a pause halfway through, so you could go through this in two sittings, even if it will feel better and more coherent in one go. But the masterstroke is the storytelling. The first half is a slow build-up to the final confrontation and it makes the action all the more impactful and tense. The camerawork is something to behold, as Kurosawa uses quite a lot of techniques that are still in vogue today. This might be one of the most modern films of the 50s, where most things were shot in a rather static fashion. This is way more vibrant and alive. Not only that, but most of the shots are composited in such a way that it all feels like eyecandy. No joke: this is poetry in motion, even when there's not a lot happening on screen. 

The acting is excellent, but you have to be ready for some of that typical Japanese overacting from certain characters. Takashi Shimura is our solid elderly samurai, the voice of calm and reason above all else. He is wonderfully juxtaposed with the youthful enthusiasm of Isao Kimura, who only comes across as a bit of a douche when he seduces a girl from the village and just stands there when her father berates and slaps her, but maybe that's just a cultural thing. 

But let's be very honest: the character everyone will remember, is Kikuchiyo as played by the man, the legend: Toshiro Mifune. He always draws the attention and sometimes it can be a bit much, but as a performance, it works. Kikuchiyo is also probably the most layered character of them all and you get to known him and his motivations along the way, thus endearing all of us to him. There's a reason why the man is such an acting legend. 

And of course, the action is top notch. It is not as over-the-top as action later would become, but it is all the more visceral and hard-hitting because of it. 

By now, I believe it is pretty clear this is required viewing. Because for all intents and purposes, this is a masterpiece.