I’ve been slowly working through Kurosawa’s movies, and I thought this could be an interesting discussion since there are so many of them.
I just finished Yojimbo, and it was fantastic. It pulls you into the story of a ronin who comes to town where two rival gangs are feuding, and he plays both sides off of each other. I really enjoyed how the relationship between the tavern owner and the ronin developed through the movie.
I think my favorite that I’ve seen is Seven Samurai. Even though it’s been copied to death for other movies, this is still the best version. Kikuchiyo is such a compelling character, and Kambei is great to watch as the leader who you hope can rise to the occasion.
I’ve also seen Ran (which I loved as an adaptation of King Lear) and The Hidden Fortress (which I loved as an adaptation of Star Wars [jk]).
Which should I watch next? I’d like to get into something set in contemporary times, so maybe Rashomon?
Three of his movies are my favorites though I haven’t seen anything of his short of great yet.
Yojimbo (1961)
Mifune is probably at his coolest here. An action-comedy that plays with every bit of a small town.
Rashomon (1950)
Groundbreaking and yet it still holds up completely. Incredible use of weather.
Ran (1985)
If you had to press me, I’d say this is my favorite simply because of his incredible use of color.