BUCKET LIST UPDATE – No. 112: Watch Akira Kurosawa’s “Seven Samurai” (1954)

A movie that I’d heard about for years, but had never watched was “Seven Samurai,” a Japanese film that came out in 1954. Over the years, I’d seen this movie on more than a few “best of” lists, but for whatever reason, I’d never taken the time to watch it. I placed it on my “bucket list” a year or so ago, and, thanks to NetFlix, I finally watched it last Thursday night.

Released on April 26, 1954, this move was directed by Akira Kurosawa and starred Takashi Shimura, Isao Kimura, Yoshio Inaba, Daisuke Kato, Minoru Chiaki, Seiji Miyaguchi and Toshiro Mifune as the Seven Samurai. If you plan on watching the movie for yourself, be prepared for the long haul. It’s three hours and 37 minutes of sword-slashing goodness.

For those of you unfamiliar with the movie, it’s set in 1587 Japan and centers on a farming village that’s unable to defend itself against a roving group of bandits. The villagers know that as soon as they harvest their meager crops, the bandits will swoop in and rob them blind. With that in mind, the villagers head to a nearby city and hire a group of ronin samurai to defend their village.

The poor villagers manage to hire a mixed group of reject samurai, who basically agree to defend the village for food. The samurai arrive at the village and immediately begin preparing the village’s defenses and training the farmers to fight. They know they’re outnumbered by the bandits, and the ensuing battle is nothing short of epic.

From an action and adventure standpoint, this movie has it all. Samurai, bandits, swordfights, ambushes, guys getting shot with bows and arrows, villagers attacking horsemen with bamboo spears, beautiful village girls, their protective fathers, etc., etc. Also, if you’re like me, and don’t know how the movie was all going to turn out, you’ll be on the edge of your seat as the movie builds toward its big finish.

As mentioned, you’ll find this movie on many “best of” lists. My interest in the movie perked up when one of my favorite Web site’s “The Art of Manliness” ranked it No. 85 on its 2011 list of “100 Must See Movies: The Essential Men’s Movie Library.” Also, I’d seen where Entertainment Weekly ranked it No. 12 on its 1999 list of “100 Greatest Movies of All Time.”

In a 1982 poll of film critics, “Sight & Sound” ranked “Seven Samurai” No. 3 on its list of greatest movies. In 2010, Empire magazine ranked it No. 1 on its list of “100 Best Films of World Cinema.” I’m not overstating it when I say that “Seven Samurai” is one of the greatest moves ever, and that it’s also one of the most influential movies ever made.

If you’ve never seen this movie, I highly recommend it. Yes, it’s in Japanese with English subtitles. Get over it (because it’s worth it). This is one of the best movies of all time and you will not be disappointed.

In the end, how many of you have seen this movie? What did you think about it? Did you like it or not? Let us know in the comments section below.