What makes "Seven Samarai" Great.

A landmark film, Akira Kurosawa's Seven Samarai is essential viewing for anyone who wants to make movies. Its story, characters, and action have come to influence westerns and even modern-day action films. The impact this film has cannot be underestimated.

Set in 1587 Feudal Japan, a village becomes under threat by the inevitable arrival of bandits once their harvest is finished. Despite having no money, a group of villagers goes in search of samurai to hire to help them fend off the bandits. After a series of setbacks, they managed to find samurai sympathetic to their cause. With their help, they prepare their village's defense against the bandits.

Much like Kurosawa's other works, Seven Samarai is a highly character-driven piece with a real sense of humidity. Right from the start the suffering and desperation of the farmers are clear, allowing the audience to sympathize with their situation. This is presented throughout the first 30 minutes of the film. They are often in lowly positions compared to everyone else, further signifying their hopelessness.

The film is full of memorable characters who each have their moment to shine. The standouts are Takashi Shimura as Shimada, the old and war-weary veteran who leads the samurai and villagers against the bandits. Shimada is the classic sage character whose skill in battle is only matched by his wisdom. Among the farmers, Yoshio Tsuchiya is great as Rikichi, a hotheaded individual who first comes up with the idea to fight back. Rikichi is a man who has had so much taken from him thanks to the bandits, and this makes him a man who has nothing to lose anymore, justifying his brash actions. However, one can't talk about the characters without bringing up the Great Toshiro Mifune as Kikuchiyo. Mifune juggles multiple roles at once here, at first being the over-the-top comedic relief of the group. But as the film goes on, we learn more about his past which turns him into a more fleshed-out character. In one of the standout scenes in the film, the group finds that the villagers have been steeling samurai armor and gear of dead samurai. They criticize the villagers at first, but Kikuchiyo puts them in their place by telling them that Samarai would often raid poor villages and destroy homes as well. The hypocrisy stated by Kikuchiyo also reveals his tragic backstory as a son of farmers whose home was wiped out.

There are some revolutionary techniques at work in this film and it's still impressive today. The action sequences in the film are a technical marvel with both the cinematography and editing playing a key role. People often call Kurosowa a master of framing and it truly shows here with Cinematographer Asakazu Nakai capturing the film beautifully. Kurosawa was also known for his great use of rain in his films and it is no exception here, with the rain making for an amazing climax. The editing done by Kurosawa himself is also revolutionary in the way the action sequences are cut and paced. A style that would aspire battle sequences in films like Lord Of the Rings and The Avengers.

Seven Samurai is a film like Citizen Kane and The Godfather, needs to be as seen and preserved as possible. Thankfully, the film's influence has made sure that will be the case. If you haven't seen it, you're doing yourself a disservice.