Seven Samurai

What could we further say that hasn't already been said about Akira Kurosawa's 1954 epic samurai war masterpiece, in other words, one of mankind's tallest cinematic achievements ever!

Legendary Akira Kurosawa's artwork gave birth to many esteemed directors around the world. Almost all outing by the master is a feat never-before-touched by the human race. Along that line is Seven Samurai; one of his most famous features that influenced nearly every movie we've watched in the past, the ones we currently do and the ones we're prone to watch in the future.

Every single department gathered to create this magnum opus cooperates in tandem and harmony with each other, which is an extremely rare occurrence. The scale of the production design alone is terrifying. Costumes, along with the extras are lived-in. And here comes the most prominent aspect of Kurosawa's celluloid craft the auteur is very well-known for - the premium quality framing, composition and blocking. Each shot is planned with utmost attention to detail in order to produce a dynamic image full of depth and layers. Clear usage of shapes and movements are not only effective, but simple and visceral at the same time! On top of it all is of course the hauntingly gorgeous photography that merges with your soul forever once you've seen it.

Seven Samurai's on-paper duration is 3 hours and 27 minutes, but the actual runtime is only 15 minutes or less. Every single scene and sequence is nothing but pure enthralling visual storytelling! From the problem statement to the recruitment of the seven samurai and the bandit battle that follows, events flow seamlessly like a smooth, continuous river with constant nodal changes in plot, characters and story being the pebbles on the way. Akira Kurosawa ensures every step of this war, be it strategy, preparation, execution or outcome, are shown to the audiences with no information filter / shortcuts. We see how the samurai brainstorm their defense with the village's map, unify the residents to build fences and arm themselves plus establish respective forts to guard on with a commander in the center who keeps track of the number of bandit members they've collectively taken down, providing the viewers a vivid sense of progression of what has been accomplished, how much have they lost and what's at stake. The bittersweet ending concludes an experience you'll return for again and again, with the hope of forgetting it all and basking in it for the first time, once more!

Characters, especially the samurai, have distinct personalities between each of them. Kikuchiyo played by Toshiro Mifune is the most endearing of them all. His goofiness, idiosyncrasy and honesty has captured an eternal place in our hearts. His past as a farmer's child and the shocking yet brave death are memorable as long as time exists. Expert swordsman portrayed by Seiji Miyaguchi is a character who earns our highest respect, and his sudden demise is indigestible too. Passionate and young Katsushirō (Isao Kimura) is admirable, and his romance subplot brought with it a soft side to patch on the harsh climate the premise is set in. Leader Kambei Shimada (Takashi Shimura) is a father figure we lean on in troubling times. Farmers Rikichi (Yoshio Tsuchiya) and Yohei (Bokuzen Hidari) are big parts of the whole proceeding, with the former's truth about his wife being heartbreaking and the latter's facial feature with permanent sadness engraved on it being iconic!

If there is anything negative at all that could be pointed out, it would be the actual impact of the gunshots, spear-stabs, katana-slashes and bow-strikes. We seldom see it landing / hurting the enemy or victims, thus notching down the lethality of it all. Bodies drop easily after a hit or two. A good singular example of this could be seen in Heihachi's (Minoru Chiaki) passing. However, this so-called flaw is a pin-drop in an ocean. The entire climactic warfare is mesmerizing and realistic to a point where you'd have no idea how was this even accomplished in the first place!