Shichinin no Samurai / Seven Samurai (1954) - Timeless classic - 9/10 (17/09/18)

I hesitated checking out the Japanese epic samurai drama Seven Samurai because I made the mistake to watch Kurosawa Akira's Ran a few years ago which turned out to be stiff, predictable and overlong and didn't live up to its excellent reputation. I'm relieved to realize that Seven Samurai indeed deserves the praise it gets. Ironically, it's not the best movie of the year, not even the best Japanese film of that year which was Honda Ishiro's groundbreaking Godzilla which shows how great movies were back in those days. Still, Seven Samurai is a timeless classic whose plot, duels and characters have been copied in numerous films such as The Magnificent Seven.

The first thing I liked about the movie is its atmosphere. It has a quite gloomy touch as the fearful peasants and seven brave samurai have to be constantly prepared for the raids of an elevated number of ruthless bandits. As opposed to Hollywood movies, one never knows who is going to survive the next attack which builds up quite a lot of despair and tension until the very end. This atmosphere is perfectly supported by the sinister black and white cinematography and the simplistic yet fitting soundtrack.

The settings are also carefully chosen. The village has a raw and simple charm but can turn from a little piece of paradise into a muddy hell rather quickly. It's definitely a very difficult battlefield. The romantic scenes in the fields of flowers in the middle section are contrasted by the torrential rain during the epic final battle that ends the movie on a high note.

The characters are fascinating and fleshed out. Each of the seven samurai has different character traits. The most impressive ones are the aged leader Kambei with his strong moral compass, the hopeless young romantic Katsushiro and the savage outsider Kikuchiyo. Even the villagers are quite unique. The elder miller and village patriarch Gisaku who refuses to evacuate, the hotheaded Rikichi who hides a sad secret and the emotional farmer's daughter Shino are only some of these fascinating characters.

The acting performances make the characters even better. Shimura Takashi's performance as intellectual leader is absolutely believable and one can understand why the other characters follow his commands despite risking their lives. Mifune Toshiro is brilliant as tough guy with a soft core who constantly tries to improve his reputation which leads to some brutal, desperate but also humorous scenes not unlike Eli Wallach's performance as Tuco in the iconic The Good, The Bad and The Ugly. On the other side, Miyaguchi Seiji contrasts the young and emotional characters with his performance as calm, disciplined and serious swordsman. The actors and actresses aren't only convincing on their own but complement one another perfectly. Their diversity is a strength in this film.

The directing has to be pointed out as well. Despite its colossal length, the movie never felt boring because it found the right balance between the main plot and numerous efficient side stories that add depth to the different characters. The camera work is calm and precise and on a much higher level than contemporary action movies with shaky cameras. On the other side, the use of wipes to change between scenes gives the movie a more fluid pace at times. The mixture of calm cinematographic techniques and a few more dynamic elements is perfectly balanced.

In the end, I have only positive things to say about this movie. If you like action films, this groundbreaking film is an iconic milestone. If you prefer dramas, you will find plenty of it in the complex relationships between the different characters. If you like period films, this movie brings the life in sixteenth century Japan to life in a brilliant way. Seven Samurai is a movie that anybody who truly likes cinema should watch at least once in his lifetime.