Seven Samurai (1954)

A village ravaged by bandits finally decides to stand up for its right. They agree to fight rather than run away. So, they decide to look for samurais who can lead the attack while they can feed the samurais in return. 5 such samurais are found and 2 more from the village volunteer to form the team of 7 samurais. Each of the samurais has his own distinct character

The leader of the pack forms good battle strategies and the bandits are slowly eliminated one by one. But, there is loss of lives as well. 4 samurais leave their lives on the battlefield. In the end, the villagers reclaim their land.

Hits

• Toshiro Mifune's histrionics and antics are immensely funny though irritating at times. Extremely talented and flexible actor.
• The battle strategy is detailed and nicely executed.
• The BG score has some poignant and touching themes
• The emotion and involvement with the movie gradually builds up and when the samurais die, we feel bad. 

Misses

• Why the hell are all the men in the village bald in such an ugly manner? This make-over is pathetic.

Comments

• Quite a long movie and it takes a while for the action to start. The process of forming the team of samurais is quite painstaking. 
• The way the main samurai runs around like spring chicken is quite funny

VERDICT

A slow epic that requires patient viewing. 

Rashomon (1950)

The plot
The movie starts off at a temple on a very rainy day where 3 men wait to see off the rain. They discuss an incident involving a bandit and a husband-wife couple in the forest, where the husband is killed. There are varying versions of the same incident.

The bandit, the wife and the husband's ghost testify before the court. Each of them gives a very different take on the actual incident. The bandit says that he killed the husband for the wife's sake after a fierce fight, the wife gives a very unconvincing testimony and the husband 's ghost gives his own version. There are also 2 witnesses who testify. These 2 are there at the temple in the first scene. They are actually narrating the entire story to the 3rd man at the temple.

Finally one of the witnesses tells to the 2 men in the temple, that he actually saw the incident taking place before his eyes and this one differs widely from all the 3 versions.

                                                                 
Hits

• Pioneering screenplay technique
• The music is dramatic and grand
• The camerawork through the forest scenes is racy and quite impressive for such an old movie
• Toshiro Mifune as Tajomaru, the bandit acts well as the manic man with a loud laugh. 

Misses

• There is still confusion in the end as to which is actually the true version. No one's testimony is trustworthy
• The entire movie is about this incident and the varying points of view but, the movie ends with a sermon about the goodness of humanity between the 3 men, after they find an abandoned baby in the temple. Quite irrelevant
• The screenplay is quite slow due to the repeated focus on the same incident. 

VERDICT

Watchable for the pioneering screenplay by Akira Kurosawa.