Seven Samurai review, HeyUGuys
Most epic movies make you ponder the money involved. How many bootstraps and belt buckles were crafted for The Lord of the Rings (2001-3)? How many computers were used to design the final battle in Avengers: Endgame (2019)? How much napalm blew up the jungle in the opening shot of Apocalypse Now (1979)? Seven Samurai (1954) doesn’t inspire such analyses; at least, not while you’re watching it. Watching this immersive medieval parable from Akira Kurosawa is like embracing a long-lost legend, dug up after hundreds of years like an ancient text on celluloid. Kurosawa was so seamless as a filmmaker that the sets and costumes and details all melt into his story.
From the American cowboy remake The Magnificent Seven (1960) to Pixar’s insect adventure A Bug’s Life (1998), the premise of Seven Samurai simmers in the cinematic consciousness. Set in 16th century Japan, ravaged by civil wars, a group of armoured bandits pick on a helpless village – planning to plunder its essential resources. The desperate villagers consult their elder, who advises them to hire samurai as a defence. The villagers have no money, so payment would be in rice. Kambei, a masterless samurai (‘ronin’), takes pity on their plight after displaying his skills in a neighbouring village. Out of a sense of duty, he finds like-minded individuals to assist him. The ronin is played by Takashi Shimura, who’d worked with Kurosawa before: delivering a shattering, unforgettable performance in Ikiru (1952).
