Movies

Spoilers herein.We are all villagers through whose small world great artists pass.This is so clean, so effortless -- the originality is hard to appreciate because so much has been absorbed into the vernacular, but it still amazes. My idea of genius is when someone can show you something you have never seen, but show it to you in such a way that you believe you knew it all along.This is a work of genius.

It's early 16th century and Japan is in the midst of civil wars. A poor village faces constant harassment from bandits. A villager overhears that bandits are planning to come back after the harvest. After a debate, the village elder proposes to hire samurai. The villagers have little to offer. They witness heroic ronin Kambei rescue a boy. Young Katsushirō is desperate to be his disciple. Kambei reluctantly agrees to help the villagers but he determines that the defense needs at least seven samurai.This is simply one of the best movies ever. It is influential in so many other movies. The characters are funny and compelling. They are iconic in their simple characteristics. Modern audiences may find the over 3 hour running time a bit too long.

If you think a three-hour Japanese movie from the mid-50s about an ancient time in history sounds like one big snoozer, you'd be right. It SOUNDS like a snoozer. But just sit down to watch this film, and you'll realize how wrong you are. "Seven Samurai" is one of the most exciting, suspenseful films I've ever seen, and the running time passed so quickly that I wasn't even ready for the film to be over. I've watched T.V. sitcoms that felt longer.Akira Kurosawa displays utter mastery of every aspect of cinema. There's not a flaw in this film: it's flawlessly acted, paced, edited, composed, scored. It's an action film for thinking people, one that more than holds its own against any movie released today.Astoundingly good.Grade: A+