There's a reason the Barenaked Ladies said they'd put samurai in their movies if they made them. That's because samurai movies are awesome. They range from historical epics and remade westerns to action-packed interpretations of Shakespeare and have inspired canons like Star Wars and The Magnificent Seven. But with so many samurai films out there, it can be easy to get lost trying to find the best of the best. Here are our top 13 samurai films.
13. Lone Wolf and Cub Film Series
Based on the famous manga series, Lone Wolf and Cub is one of the most unorthodox duos in a samurai film. The six films center on the adventures of the shogun's executioner Itto Ogami and his son Daigoro. Armed with swords and a pram, they both travel through a brutal version of Japan while trying to survive. Each film features different villains who attack in different ways. This is a fantastic version of Japan considering what the films present. This includes buggies shooting guns and samurai skiing down snowy hills. There's an absurdly appealing balance of courage and awkwardness that makes this a must-watch.
12. 13 Assassins
Director Takashi Miike has made all kinds of wild and unhinged horror and gangster films. But he also directed samurai films like 13 Assassins. And if you were hoping he'd tone down the tone with this period action flick…you'd be wrong. 13 Assassins depicts a team of 19th century Japanese assassins targeting the tyrannical Lord Naritsugu Matsudaira for execution. The regrouped samurai then set a series of vicious traps which lead to scenes of disturbing violence. If you like your samurai films very brutal and very strange, 13 Assassins is sure to surprise you with its many surprises.
11. Kill!
You know how spaghetti westerns started borrowing from samurai films? Well, Kill borrows from a lot of things and not just the samurai genre. At first glance, it's clearly a retelling of the same story as Akira Kurosawa's Sanjuro. It tells the story of an aspiring samurai and a retired samurai who join forces to fight against a clan with a band of rebels. The film has a lot of comedic style like Sanjuro, but also adds a dose of Italian spice to give it that extra grit. It also draws inspiration from many other samurai films, but this ambitious mix of genres manages to make Kill! come out. It's a lot more than Sanjuro 2.0, although it looks pretty good for a compelling samurai film.
10. Three outlaw samurai
Before director Hideo Gosha ventured into the world of modern Japanese gangsters, he debuted with the simple title Three Outlaw Samurai. The film follows farmers who kidnap the governor's daughter and hold her hostage until taxes are reduced. The problem is that farmers don't know much about swordsmanship. It's a good thing that the three warriors originally hired to execute the peasants decided to switch sides. What follows is a rebellious renegade Ronin story that is as much a thrilling series of sword fights as it is a scathing critique of political powers.
9. Samurai Assassin
True to its title, Samurai Assassin is about assassinations but also about betrayal. It follows a band of assassins sent to kill a Tokugawa official. As they wait in the snowy surroundings outside the castle, Lord Li's absence makes the assassins anxious, fearing that there is a traitor among them. The main character of the film is the legendary Toshiro Mifune, who plays the complex Niiro desiring samurai status. He goes from being a dazed thug to a viciously frustrated character as the film approaches its brutal and bloody finale of swords and politics.
8. The Twilight Samurai
Not all samurai films have to be realistic depictions of swordsmanship and politics. Our number 8 pick is proof that these films can have a certain vulnerability while still remaining unique. Billed as a samurai drama, the story centers on Seibei Iguchi, a kind soul who rose from a low-level samurai to a bureaucrat. He is a very recognizable character because he is a single father and struggles with money. This is the perfect film for those who need to be reminded that samurai films are about more than just hacking and slashing.
7. The samurai trilogy
Trilogy adaptation by Hiroshi Inagaki of Eiji Yoshikawa's novel about Musashi Miyamoto…
20 Greatest Samurai Movies, Ranked
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00:00 – Introduction
12:30 a.m. – 13. Lone Wolf and Cub Scout Series
1:50 p.m. – 11. Kill!
3:08 – 9. Samurai assassin
4:16 – 7. Samurai Trilogy
5:19 – 5. Sword of Destiny
6:29 – 3. Samurai Rebellion
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