Rating: 
Summary: Easily One of the Finest Films of the 20th Century
Review: Clocking in at just under four hours with not a scrap of filler, Kurosawa's THE SEVEN SAMURAI is every bit as legendary at its enthusiasts would have you believe.The basic story is extremely simple. In a period of social chaos, a small farming village learns it will once more be attacked by a band of thirty bandits after the harvest. At first the farmers despair, but village elder Gisaku (Kokuten Kodo) recalls that in his childhood a similar village met a similar situation by hiring Samurai to defend them. The villagers accordingly send representatives to the city, where they are able to convince Samurai Kambei Shimada (Takashi Shimura) to undertake the defense. If the plot sounds familiar, it should: Hollywood would translate it into the extremely popular 1960 western THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN--but fine though that film is, it pales beside THE SEVEN SAMURAI, which effectively turns an action film premise into a character study of the first order and endows the story with both tremendous simplicity and artistry. Much of this is due an extraordinary ensemble cast, which includes the celebrated Toshiro Mifune (who would later appear in Kurosawa's THRONE OF BLOOD and YOJIMBO); above this, however, is Kurosawa's remarkable vision that draws upon the visual motif of the circle. The circle is a powerful presence in SAMURAI. The village is presented as a roughly circular pattern of houses; the farmers meet in circles; in due time the Samurai enter the circle and stand at the center of the circle, directing the defense--and indeed the circle will become the defense, as Shimada works to find means to draw the bandits into the circle and to their doom. The motif will be elaborated: tied to the cycle of seed time, growth time, and harvest; tied to the cycle of life; and ultimately showing the quiet bitterness of life for those who operate outside the circular codes of community: the "Ronin," the Samurai who have no master and no community, and whose lives are not valued by the community except for aid at a moment of crisis. Shot in simple black and white, as much (if not more) a detailed character and culture study as it is an action film, THE SEVEN SAMURAI is extremely simple and yet extremely subtle, and ultimately one of the most powerful films it has been my pleasure to review. The quality of the Criterion DVD transfer is very good, but by no means flawless--although it survives well, the film has not been digitally restored, and artifacts are frequent. There is little in the way of bonus material, but the commentary by Michael Jeck is quite fine. Strongly recommended. GFT, Amazon Reviewer
Rating:
Summary: A Kurosawa Masterpiece
Review: When director Akira Kurosawa was presented the Academy Award for Lifetime Achievement in the late 1980's, he was very old, almost blind, and still making incredible films. In his acceptance speech he said that he was just beginning to understand how to make a good film. I don't know...seems like he knew pretty well in 1954 when he released 'The Seven Samurai.' As the film opens, a small Japanese village has been raided by bandits time after time. The villagers know they are coming again and that the next time will finish their life of farming for good. In desperation, several of the villagers hire (for very meager wages) seven samurai warriors for protection. The warriors have many problems to overcome: Initially the villagers are as scared of their saviors as they are the bandits. The villagers also have no training in how to protect themselves. And some of the samurai are just BARELY qualified to bear the name samurai. Plus, of course, the big problem: The bandits are coming. The movie is over three and a half hours long, but you don't notice it. Kurosawa is a master of directing your eyes to the places they should go, whether it's a village pilgrimage to the local ancient sage, or a huge battle scene with the bandits. No one else shoots large-scale action sequences like Kurosawa. The scene where the multitude of bandits come pouring down the mountain towards the village is breathtaking. But tighter shots are equally effective. Watch how Kurosawa focuses on the feet of the horses during several scenes from the battles. Those feet tell you everything you need to know. The subplots deal with the breaking down of ancient traditions, forbidden romance, loyalty to a cause, and much more. By the time you get to the end, you're forced to ask yourself some questions about everything that's happened. I'll say nothing more about the ending, except to add that when you get there, you know you've seen a film that's been imitated countless times, but never matched.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent movie !!
Review: This is an incredible movie. I loved it. Not only does the Seven Samurai have loads of action, but there are other aspects of this movie that make it such an enjoyable experience to watch. The thing I like best about this movie was the humor. Some of the lines said by the samurais were so hilarious I couldn't stop laughing! Even though things got silly at times, there was ,however, a very serious side to the movie and it made you realize how tough life can really be. I have watched several of Akira Kurosawa's films such as Ran, etc, and by far, this is his best work. The only complaints I have about this movie was that it was in black and white and so I had a hard time reading the white lettering of the subtitles. This movie is a true gem. I was thinking of buying it, but my oh my, it is quite costly! Nevertheless, it is worthy to put in anyone's collection. It is rare that you'll ever find a movie as good as this, it is in a league of it's own. Truly a masterpiece that should be cherished!
Rating:
Summary: All time classic obviously!
Review: Well, if you haven't seen Seven Samurai then you're not really qualified to call yourself a film fan, basically. One of the most influential movies of all time, that still holds up extremely well nearly 50 years later. Akira Kurosawa's epic tale of heroism and barbarism set the standard in so many ways it's hard to imagine that any modern film does not show its influence in some way or other. A great script, great characters, mostly great acting, splendid cinematography and action sequences that wrote the book about how these things should be filmed. Even now, after so many have tried to imitate or beat it, Seven Samurai remains a totally gripping 3.5 hour experience. Akira Kurosawa is one of the gods of Cinema - men who seem to have been born to make films, who have it in their blood. People like Alfred Hitchcock, Stanley Kubrick, King Hu and Steven Speilberg, who make it look easy... who so obviously "get it". In this pantheon, Kurosawa is perhaps the daddy of them all, however, and Seven Samurai is one of his finest moments. The scale of the production is remarkable - to undertake making such an epic in post-war Japan was a feat in itself. The cast of dozens of inhabitants of a villiage specially built for the movie, the 40 bandits and their horses, all the costumes, the armour, the weapons. Few directors could have brought all of this together and still paid such attention to the smallest of details in script and scene. Credit must go to the team Kurosawa worked with too, I presume The movie's setup became the template for many movies to follow, the most recentl example that comes to mind being the excellent Korean period movie MUSA (The Warrior), for example. A motley band of characters is assembled and placed in a situation where the odds are seemingly stacked against them, and each gets there chance to really shine, prove themselves and become something more than a normal man. Kurosawa's Samurai movies all share a little bit in common, which is the depiction of the Samurai as some noble beast, different from the common and pathetic rabble of ordinary man. In Seven Samurai the farmers are a base lot, cowardly, selfish, vain, pathetic and treacherous. How he found actors with such miserable looking faces is a mystery in itself. In contrast, the Samurai embody all the qualities that humanity would generally like to believe define it (us). Brave, righteous, honest, strong and heroic. Toshiro Mifune's character stands in the middle and represents this difference - perhaps meant to suggest that mankind can strive to rise above his flaws, but mostly suggesting to me that the common man is basically a mess and we should learn to respect our betters. Kurosawa was definitely not a socialist, unless I'm mis-reading him wildly. I'm sure many out there wonder, does a 50 year old black and white movie about Samurai really have any interest or relevance to us in the 21st century? The answer is a definite "Yes!". Seven Samurai shows us what cinema can be, what cinema is *meant* to be. It is moving picture as art in a way that the multiplex-fillers of today cannot possibly claim to be. It's a film that satisfies on many different levels, and still provides a bench mark which today's film makers could and should use to evaluate their own contributions. True, few out there will ever be able to claim they've made a film that rivals Seven Samurai in scope or beauty, but this *is* what every director should aspire to! The sad thing is, I just can't see a project like this ever coming out of the Hollywood studio system, where art is just another commodity and marketing is the new god
Rating:
Summary: A breath taking masterpiece of Japanese film making....
Review: After many years of only seeing this timeless work on VHS tape, to finally have and to own " The Seven Samurai " on DVD presented in 1:33:1 format, presented by the reknowned Criterion Collection...it is indeed a true pleasure for this film fan. Plus the bonus of the additional audio commentary by the Japanese film historian, Michael Jeck, provides a much deeper insight into the history of the production, it's messages and themes, Akira Kurosawa's directorial style, and the attitudes of Japanese film making in the early 1950's. From the very first time I watched this film I was spellbound by it's power and glory....Kurosawa painstakingly assembled a team of actors with wonderful synergy and expression that are at the core of this unforgettable tale of hopes & dreams, death & revenge and honor & trust. Kurosawa's explosive and dynamic battle sequences, some filmed in driving rain, are equally balanced within the films context by the sadness and emotion of the heartfelt scenes, such as where Kikuchiyo (Toshiro Mifune) reveals his upbringings to the rest of the Samurai. This moving, provacative and challenging film is an epic that still stands head and shoulders over many others nearly 50 years after it's initial release...and a film that you can watch time and time again, and uncover another gem within it's rich tapestry upon each repeated viewing. I've shown this movie to many friends who were either not interested in older black and white productions...or not keen on subtitled movies...and they have all enjoyed it and remarked how they never knew that they could relish a 50 year old movie so much !! This film truly belongs in any persons movie collection who considers themselves a true afficiando of cinema...an experience in emotion, energy and vision that will not be forgotten by those who view this wonderful work.
Rating:
Summary: Outstanding!
Review: This is my first Akira Kurosawa movie, and I thought it was wonderful. It is almost 3 and a half hours long, black and white, and the subtitles go by qickly sometimes and can be hard to see on top of a white background, but none of that matters. The black and white adds to the feel of the movie, and it is the perfect length.
The movie starts abruptly, with a village of farmers who need the help of samurai to defeat a group of bandits who keep raiding their village. All of the samurai, some more than others, have distinct personalities. My favorite was Kikuchiyo, the loud, enerjetic samurai with a troubled past. As the movie progresses, and the battle draws nearer, many things are learned about the characters.
This movie deserves to be called a classic. A must see.
Rating: 
Summary: A Masterpiece Made Better With DVD
Review: This may be one of the most entertaining and ground breaking movies ever made. As a film, Seven Samurai excels on so many levels it's hard to know where to begin. The story's message of honor and self-sacrifice is so simple and timeless, it crosses all cultures and mindsets. While the scenes themselves are not necessarily quick (the movie runs over 3 hours), the overall pacing is brilliant. Every moment blends effortlessly from relaxed humor to tense excitement to somber introspection. Regardless of the context, the audience always feels as if the film is moving forward towards it's dramatic conclusion. And as if substance weren't enough, Kurosawa took the meaty screenplay and devised some creative camera work to enhance each scene. Kurosawa's use of slo-mo, for example, has influenced such directors as Peckinpah and Leone. No angle, tracking shot, remote, or still is wasted. The performances of the actors also deserve special mention. From the clever stage business of Takahashi Shimura's Kambei, to Toshiro Mifune's enthusiastic and spirited performance as black sheep Kikuchiyo, the audience can easily find an character to identify with and follow through the course of the movie. It's not hard to imagine those watching for the first time sitting on the edge of their seats, hoping their favorite samurai will survive the film's final act. My personal fave was the subdued, bad-ass fencer, Kyuzo (played with detatched machismo by Seiji Miyaguchi). DVD-wise, this film is what most enthusiasts would expect from a Criterion release. Although the extensively restored footage still contains some artifacts and minor flaws, and the dated soundtrack will not bomb your home theater system like a "Dark City" or "Fifth Element" disc will, this is without a doubt the best version of Seven Samurai available and worthy addtion to any film buff's collection. Highly Recommended
Rating: 
Summary: good but not great
Review: I finally saw this film after hearing so much about it. It was good, but it's not THE greatest film of all. The editing seems sloppy at times, the action sequences are OK, and the audio is very bare. But then again it was made in 1954. The characters are definitely captivitating and the story is good but this is a bad transfer of a highly acclaimed film. Criterion prides itself for it's superior quality DVDs, but this transfer was poorly done. The film is drenched with scratches, black spots, dirt, burn marks and an annoying light flickering. For the price I paid, I expected a pristine copy. This Criterion is NOT worth buying. Save your $40+ tax and rent it (although I hear Criterion might redo this DVD) Two stars for the crappy transfer.
Rating:
Summary: Good but could have been great....
Review: Alright Seven Samurai is Awesome! No Doubt! But it needs to be digitally Remastered and cleaned up. The DVD version also seems darker than the original film was.
Rating:
Summary: great film with moving characters
Review: not only the definitive samurai epic, but a moving character study in the hands of perhaps the greatest master of crowd action sequences in film. the first action epic and one that deserves a place in any film collection!
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