Finn Morse
The feature films of Japanese Golden Age director Akira Kurosawa have been studied for the better part of a century. During his legendary directorial career, his scripts and his unique style laid the foundation for filmmakers everywhere. Known for samurai epics and sentimentality, Kurosawa used his talents to celebrate human life and tell great stories. Commanding the camera 30 separate times, Kurosawa worked with familiar faces to create some of the very best movies ever. Not every one of his movies is a winner, but his very best earn their keep among the all-time greats.
30. The Most Beautiful (1944)
Kurosawa’s weakest effort — hands down — is his sophomore feature film, The Most Beautiful. This politically conceived project follows a group of young women working in metal factories and marching in appreciation for the Japanese military during WWII. While the direction is competent and the performances serviceable, the insistence on advocating for kamikaze pilots and carrying pro-war flags run entirely counter to what would later become Kurosawa’s thesis statement: the appreciation and value of human life. The Most Beautiful is not a Kurosawa film. It is a contracted assignment made by a director mandated to complete it.
29. Scandal (1950)
The first film of his otherwise generational run in the 1950s, Scandal, is Kurosawa at his most pedestrian. “Scandal” follows a pair of celebrities caught up in a defamation lawsuit after reporters and paparazzi mistake them for having an affair. Their lawyer, a two-timing mole for the prosecution, becomes the whining and whimpering protagonist halfway through the film, completely shifting gears from the interesting public eye and commentary about the invasion of privacy that plagues celebrities. Toshiro Mifune delivering a Christmas tree on his bike to cheering village children doesn’t save this from placing near the bottom.
28. The Idiot (1951)
An adaptation of one of Kurosawa’s favorite novels, The Idiot is perhaps the strangest passion project out there. Following a chronically dim-witted man caught up in a love triangle, the movie suffers from an insistent runtime and pace. There are a handful of captivating scenes between the title idiot (Masayuki Mori) and the love interest, Taeko Nasu (Setsuko Hara). We get the sense that Taeko is in search of a genuine connection more than she’s in search of a wealthy and safe life, like she would have with Denkichi Akama (Toshiro Mifune). But with its padded runtime and indulgence behind the camera, The Idiot fails to be more than “another Kurosawa film.”
27. Sanshiro Sugata (1943)
Kurosawa’s debut feature, Sanshiro Sugata, feels the most like a traditional Hollywood movie. It tells the story of an up-and-coming athlete searching for a chance to learn the martial art of judo. A standard sports movie, the titular Sanshiro Sugata (Susumu Fujita) succumbs to stereotype. He is caught up in a romance, told to study harder by his martial arts teacher, and ultimately beats his rival in a judo match. While a simple story doesn’t bog down the movie as a whole, the lack of general personality it brings does. Sanshiro Sugata is a character I will only remember because his name is the title of not one, but two, Kurosawa movies.
26. Rhapsody in August (1991)
One of Kurosawa’s three films about nuclear anxiety, Rhapsody in August, is a movie about legacy and the impact it has on a family. It follows a family visiting their grandmother in the outskirts of Hiroshima, when they are suddenly visited by an estranged relative from the United States. Where it fails is in its tangibility. There is a fleeting bolt of a concrete message — that of giving focus and attention to one’s family history and trauma — but lacks the context of misunderstanding to prove its point. By the end, we’re all still chasing the point it’s trying to make.
25. Sanshiro Sugata Part II (1945)
Sanshiro Sugata Part II is technically weaker than the first by a considerable portion. Its story about Sanshiro’s politically motivated judo matches that are played for laughs and not for seriousness. However, its laughs are its greatest strength. A mediocre movie is elevated to perhaps one of the funniest Kurosawa films. Its climactic mountain battle against the karate masters employs goofy audio to make for an enjoyable final fight. While technically inferior to the original, it’s hard to truly call this follow-up a completely bad movie.
24. The Lower Depths (1957)
One of Kurosawa’s many play adaptations, The Lower Depths breathes life into the Edo period of Japanese history. It follows the stories of several hostel renters, ranging from down on their luck to spiritually adrift. Ironically, The Lower Depths seems to say very little about the nature of the human spirit in times of crisis. Plenty of its characters are unlikable and stubborn, and plenty more are forgettable. It has a fine enough message of enduring hardships suddenly thrust upon you, signified by the wandering monk’s philosophy. But aside from that, there are far richer play adaptations (and Kurosawa movies) to spend time with.
23. The Men Who Tread on the Tiger’s Tail (1946)
Kurosawa’s only silent feature, The Men Who Tread on the Tiger’s Tail, runs for only a single hour. Based on legendary events within Japanese history, it tells the story of a disguised Prince Yoshitsune fleeing from political turmoil. To escape rebellion, he and his trusted samurai must navigate the treacherous ‘Tiger’s Tail’ mountain range. The short runtime makes for very little fat on this story-oriented tale. For being one of Kurosawa’s heralded samurai films, swords are hardly ever drawn. Instead, the battle is of wits between the mountain’s checkpoint inspector and the prince’s head samurai. Tiger’s Tail is a good way to kill an afternoon with Kurosawa before preparing for one of his meatier movies.
22. Dodes’ka-den (1970)
The first film in color to appear on this ranking, Dodes’ka-den, is the director at his most aimless. It tells the intertwined domestic stories of a community living in a dilapidated neighborhood on the outskirts of society. While other movies might look toward greater scope or spectacle, Dodes’ka-den looks at the inner worlds of quirky characters navigating realistic hardships. It doesn’t stand for anything grand, instead for the humanism we find everywhere, best represented by its heavenly musical theme. Its appeal is to Kurosawa completionists, mostly famous in the public eye for the mental and financial hardship it wrought on Kurosawa, and not for its strengths as a movie. Said strengths are bathed in painful realism, juxtaposed with fleeting moments of sunshine.
21. No Regrets for Our Youth (1946)
No Regrets for Our Youth is perhaps Kurosawa’s most political movie. Following a love triangle between two of her college peers, Yukie Yagihara (Setsuko Hara), daughter of a wealthy college professor, must choose between backing her father’s political beliefs or an authentic romance. No Regrets makes a political statement at its very inception, just by existing and paying lip service to antimilitarism. Where the movie shines is through its protagonist and the tumultuous journey she goes on to uphold her personal and familial honor. We see her sink through the ranks of society all to keep up her promises, and to not regret leaving people behind. An inspiring, yet fairly gloomy story.
20. The Quiet Duel (1949)
With his first worthwhile inclusion on this list, star Toshiro Mifune has an emotionally challenging role in The Quiet Duel. Following a surgeon who contracts syphilis from a patient during an operation, the film is upsetting and deeply unfortunate. The surgeon grapples with giving up his happiness with his betrothed to protect her, too, from contracting the disease. So many feelings are channeled through the caged lion Mifune, in facial expressions and passionate dialogue. Tension spikes when the patient who gave the surgeon syphilis returns to the hospital, Mifune’s emotions becoming palpable. Anger at how his happiness was taken away in an instant, sadness at leaving love behind. Quiet Duel, honestly, could have been considered an acting assessment, just to see how far Mifune could take the performance. While unexceptional in departments other than direction and acting, The Quiet Duel cuts deep on an emotional level first and foremost.
19. Drunken Angel (1948)
A post-WWII neorealist feature, Drunken Angel is a bleak look at Japan’s underground and rising crime syndicates of the time. Drunken Angel follows the story of an alcoholic doctor (Takashi Shimura) and his patient, a belligerent yakuza (Toshiro Mifune). The young muscle is diagnosed with tuberculosis by the old medic, who urges him to stop his life of crime. Drunken Angel positions the audience as observers in this underworld, watching from afar as the postwar system beats the characters down. Yakuza Matsunaga represents the youth of a defeated nation, simultaneously urged to heal and to keep up a tough look. The film is widely considered Kurosawa’s first true hit, giving identity to an entire nation hitherto masking defeat in WWII. Coupling this identifiable main character with talented direction and gloomy urban atmosphere, Drunken Angel effectively put Kurosawa on the map.
18. Dersu Uzala (1975)
Dersu Uzala is the name of a mountain trapper living in the northeastern wilderness who befriends a Russian explorer. The film is a testament to the beginnings and endings of friendship, paralleling the changing seasons and falling leaves with those of the characters and their relationship. The oranges and reds that paint the landscape seep into the Russian wilderness in melancholy. The visuals — much like Kurosawa’s later color features in the 1970s onward — are the film’s strongest attribute. On top of the gorgeous colors, the waxing and waning friendship between Dersu (Maxim Munzuk) and the Captain (Yury Solomin) makes the movie special. The perfect film for a rainy day.
17. Throne of Blood (1957)
The gothic Shakespearean tale Macbeth, adapted during the samurai golden age. An ominous prophecy leads General Washizu down a self-destructive path when he is convinced to kill his lord. The movie expertly adapts the age-old play into a samurai story, choosing to focus on its characters more than battle. Throne of Blood makes a case for being a career best for some of Kurosawa’s directorial attributes. The physical mist and cold weather, the sound mixing and cinematography, and especially the weight of its two central performances. Lady Asaji (Isuzu Yamada) and Lord Washizu (Toshiro Mifune) are exceptional and entertaining. The iconic arrow scene withstands the test of time, remaining technically impressive and dramatic almost 70 years later. While lacking the pace and consistent spectacle that most of Kurosawa’s samurai stories have, Throne of Blood endures as a great movie.
16. One Wonderful Sunday (1947)
Kurosawa crafts an underrated gem in the neorealist genre with One Wonderful Sunday. It follows a single day in the lives of a young couple navigating their potential life together in postwar Japan. The two are forced to live apart at work at arduous jobs to make ends meet in the postwar climate. With a meager 35 yen to spend on themselves, the pair tries their best to have an enjoyable day together. What follows are arguments, debates, sadness, and resolve. After all of the troubles, be it financial or their long distance, the two still care for one another. There is some absurd dialogue in the third act that might not work for everyone, but still retains its sincerity. Not a crowd favorite, but a hard movie to outright dismiss given its identifiable main characters.
15. Rashomon (1950)
The global sensation, Rashomon broke the world of screenwriting upon its international release at the Venice Film Festival. A film adaptation of the 1922 short story In A Grove, Rashomon is an unreliable narrative relying on audience deductions. The interactions between a samurai, a bandit, a maiden, and a woodcutter are recounted with the respective witness’ biases. The question is, who is telling the truth? Kurosawa’s collaboration with screenwriter Shinobu Hashimoto made for one of the most impactful of the decade in its ingenuity. Thankfully, the movie itself is a captivating and engaging one. Each story is directed in a different way, with decent fight scenes and dramatic acting moments equally represented. Many long-time Kurosawa fans champion this one as his very best, and not for the faint of heart. A timeless story built on mistrust and audience discussion is one to be studied for many more decades to come.
14. Dreams (1990)
Dreams is a stranger in this emperor’s army. It’s an anthology centered around visual spectacle more than story, a common theme amongst Kurosawa’s later features. His tendency to use his paintings as storyboards was never clearer in the final product, with vibrant and beautiful images. Each of the stories is very different from one another, with no throughline or framing device to be seen.
There’s light and joy from the festival of spirits and the dancing foxes towards the beginning. There’s solemn darkness with the ghosts of WWII soldiers and the eruption of Mt Fuji. But to go along with those varying themes, there is always a beautiful visual image for the eyes to feast upon. It’s like the whole movie was made for the “paintings” dream alone, where Martin Scorsese cameos as Vincent Van Gogh. “The sun compels me to paint. I can’t stand here wasting my time talking to you.” One of his more different movies, Dreams endures as one of his more philosophical works.
13. Madadayo (1993)
The final notch on his champion belt, Madadayo —meaning “not yet!” — was Kurosawa’s very last movie. It tells the story of a university professor during his retirement, and the ways he manages to stay optimistic throughout. In what is essentially a biopic about himself, Kurosawa makes each random development in this old man’s life feel monumental. When he adopts a street cat and goes to the ends of the earth to find it after a storm, the audience becomes as invested in the safety of the animal as we would be during a samurai battle.
Shots as simple as a slow-motion horse neighing up as the professor recounts it are heartfelt and purposeful. Every little detail and every little moment are meaningful, which is exactly what this film is trying to say. Make life what you want it to be. Kurosawa’s legacy endures not only for his movies’ spectacle and size, but for the moments that stick with people emotionally. Madadayo is the ultimate reminder of how your art should be alive with you, right up to the end.
12. Yojimbo (1960)
Yojimbo is the Raiders of the Lost Ark of Kurosawa’s filmography; a movie that captivates its audience through sheer badassery. Following a nameless ronin as he pins rival gangs against one another, this is a tale of deception and revenge. Toshiro Mifune is equal parts hilarious and badass in the leading role, sabotaging each gang while hardly saying a word. His motivation to help the villagers who are overrun by the outlaws is an identifiable one.
The gangs are really fun to watch, each enemy character needing as few as one attribute to make them memorable. You don’t need to know their names. You just need to know “this guy has a gun,” and “that guy has a hammer.” Yojimbo isn’t especially dramatic or deep, with its theme of fighting back against oppression being a universal one. Its lack of complexities does not sink it in terms of staying power and its fuel to the western and action genres, respectively.
11. I Live In Fear (1955)
Kurosawa is no stranger to the morally dubious, but in none of his movies is it as central as in I Live In Fear. This tragic tale of nuclear anxiety sees a terrified patriarch trying to move his family to Brazil, escaping nuclear devastation. The performances from the ensemble family members surrounding their anxious father put things into perspective. No one else feels that fear strongly enough to leave, but we can’t help but identify with this maligned main character. He breaks barriers to try to get his family to leave. His actions are sometimes condemnable, but we can’t help but pity him for wanting to save himself and his family. The film’s medical trial framing device pays wonders, giving the audience a way to equally access either side of the conflict. A tough film to crack, but a more than rewarding watch.
10. Ikiru (1952)
Kurosawa’s most life-affirming film, Ikiru, is a tale of finding goodness in a world of hardship. It’s the story of an apathetic old government worker after he is diagnosed with stomach cancer. The information leaves him shattered, realizing that he’s spent his life doing nothing of purpose and nothing of real worth. Befriending a young intern and seeing the city nightlife, Mr. Watanabe (Takashi Shimura) sees what it means to live. He turns his life around in the final few months by repairing his community and bringing people together. It’s the most heartfelt message out of any of Kurosawa’s movies, brought together by Takashi Shimura’s career-best performance. Ikiru stands for turning one’s life around, no matter if you’ve given up on yourself. Anyone can change, and anyone can help others, even if it comes in the darkest of hours.
9. Ran (1985)
The best visual spectacle in any Kurosawa film is in Ran, a cinematographic triumph. An adaptation of the Shakespeare play, King Lear, Lord Hidetora Ichimonji (Tatsuya Nakadai) divides his lands amongst his three sons. The eldest two sons disown their father after arriving at their castles, throwing the family into disarray and starting a war. Ran sets out to win over its audience with visuals over dialogue. The film uses color to captivate its viewers first and to differentiate the three warring factions second. The visuals are often washed and white, appearing like a fairy tale or a museum piece.
Mist, grass, spears, and smoke are all visually hypnotizing. But on top of the excellent direction, the plight of Lord Ichimonji is identifiable as we see his deterioration. What was once a behemoth of power was reduced to nothing, all because of his mistakes and his oversights. A tragic and enthralling action film that’s only grown stronger in the 40 years since its release.
8. Kagemusha (1980)
The film that won Kurosawa the Palme d’Or, Kagemusha, is his best movie to be shot in color. Typically, a three-hour samurai epic would follow armor-clad warriors wielding a sword in battle, but not this one. This is the story of a shadow warrior, a thief who looks so much like a samurai lord that he becomes the lord’s body double. When gunmen manage to assassinate the real lord, the double rises to fill his place to preserve the clan’s reign. Tatsuya Nakadai plays both characters, both completely distinct from one another with different personalities and mannerisms. The double slowly becomes more and more fit to actually rule over the course of the movie.
The cinematography and performance sell this change, with the shadow of the lord growing on the wall. On top of being lyrically great, the visuals are museum-worthy in their own right. The compositions are simply beautiful, with their use of light and color being jaw-dropping. Ultimately, the greatest aspect of this movie is its palpable feeling of awe. Its music, its performance, its concept, its visuals. It’s all incredible. This is what a confident film looks like.
7. Sanjuro (1961)
In a follow-up story to Yojimbo, Sanjuro again stars Toshiro Mifune’s nameless ronin on another samurai adventure. Stumbling upon a band of young samurai and their plot to crush usurpers in their clan. From the very beginning, this movie has a light and comedic tone compared to its pulpy, action-oriented predecessor. What elevates this story above Yojimbo is its identifiability with the ronin character, who calls himself Sanjuro. In the previous installment, killing gang members and saving the town was the objective, but it hurt people in the process.
In the sequel, Sanjuro learns an adage about keeping your sword drawn and doing the very best to avoid bloodshed. This lesson goes on to define his character. It’s important to be a good swordsman, but it’s more important to value the lives of others. This idea is challenged by rival Hanbei Muroto (Tatsuya Nakadai) and their famous duel at the end. On top of being dramatically potent, this movie is perhaps the funniest that Kurosawa has ever directed. There are great running bits like the spy in the closet and the banter between the younger samurai. It’s an enjoyable, digestible watch that outshines Yojimbo on a technical and personal enjoyment level.
6. The Bad Sleep Well (1960)
Kurosawa’s finest Shakespeare adaptation comes in the form of The Bad Sleep Well, a corporate noir thriller based on Hamlet. The story follows the ladder-climbing Kôichi Nishi (Toshiro Mifune) on his path to avenge his father, who was assassinated by business partners. The story is laser-focused, and not a second is spent without built tension and execution. Kurosawa is on fire here, directing any dialog exchange and sudden reveal with a passion. Much like Yojimbo, the story is less of a critique on the nature of life and humanism. Instead, it’s focused on thrilling its audience.
By the conclusion, the audience is left aghast by the dissatisfaction, only to remember the guarantee from the title. The Bad Sleep Well. This is my choice for Kurosawa’s most underrated movie. While it’s acclaimed and beloved among fans, it’s hardly the movie people bring up when talking about Kurosawa’s best features. A Shakespearean epic in the guise of a corporate noir thriller — with some of the best in the history of the business at the helm — makes for one fantastic film.
5. Stray Dog (1949)
Hollywood directors of the 1970s often credit Kurosawa for laying down the blueprints for their commercial action works. But never would anyone guess that on the list of his film contributions would be the very first buddy-cop movie. Stray Dog follows the young Officer Murakami (Toshiro Mifune) and the weathered Officer Sota (Takashi Shimura). The pair track down a pickpocket who stole Murakami’s Colt revolver and is using it to rob and kill people. More so than any movie on this list, Stray Dog feels like Kurosawa has leveled up. Drunken Angel and The Quiet Duel were good movies, but it doesn’t feel like he and Mifune hit their stride as collaborators just yet. Then, there’s this movie. Everything clicks, from the editing to the story structure.
It really feels like we’re cops on the ground, tracking this criminal down to the very end. Neorealist themes of desperation getting the better of us — seen in One Wonderful Sunday and Drunken Angel — continue to evolve. It truly feels like Murakami has become a better cop and a better person by the end of the story, thanks in equal parts to Sota training him up, as well as him getting outside and accomplishing his goal. It’s a simple story with so much to say about legacy and civilization, and it needs to be seen to be believed.
4. The Hidden Fortress (1958)
This is the complete package. The Hidden Fortress is what people go to a Kurosawa movie for: samurai atmosphere, action, scale, and humanism at the center. There’s a reason this script inspired George Lucas to make Star Wars decades later. From the opening long take — the first time Kurosawa ever used widescreen — the audience is anchored in world and character. The cast for this movie is stacked to the brim, with both comic relief and drama. The backdrop of a clenching civil war makes the peasants and royals caught in the middle feel mortal and vulnerable. So many great wide shots, so many great environments, so many great characters.
The choice not to kill any of the main characters —or villains — is a welcome and optimistic touch. Its villain, Hyoe Tadokoro (Susumu Fujita), brings the whole movie together with his character arc, turning to the light side. Everyone reads about this one and its connection to Star Wars, but few have actually sat down and watched it. Frankly, you’ll have just as good a time watching this as you would watching its Hollywood remake.
3. High and Low (1960)
A stone-cold masterpiece. High and Low is a morally complex corporate thriller about the nature of capitalism and the endurance of the human spirit in the face of ethical dilemmas. Immediately, the movie grips you with a compelling hook, with a businessman so intent on rising to the top that he would gamble his life savings away. Only after he takes out every cent he owns does he realize that his son’s friend has been kidnapped. To save the boy’s life, he would need to fork over his life’s work. For its first hour, the film is entirely in one room, only leaving it once the story hops onto the rails and never slows down.
Everything about its analysis of capitalism and the morality of the ethical choice is timeless, evidenced by its recent remake. And after a roller coaster of events, is it safe to say its very best scene is its final one? Everything we knew about the movie is turned on its head once we learn the villain’s motivations in one monologue. It’s hard to match its filmmaking, but coupling undeniable talent on the big screen with a morally complex ethical meditation? You’ve got yourself one of the best films of all time, anyway you spin it.
2. Seven Samurai (1954)
Kurosawa’s grandest and most beloved film, watching Seven Samurai for the fifth time feels like your first. This is the samurai epic of the century, with ensemble performances and tangible scale off the charts. Seven wandering samurai are asked to defend a village of farmers from a league of bandits, for absolutely no pay. The only reward for these men is the chance to accomplish something in a forever-changing world. There are always more details to pick up on with each rewatch, and there are only more ways to interpret the film’s message as the years go by. Why should we care about the downtrodden, and why does it take a hero just to do the right thing?
The performances are excellent; the music is somber and encouraging. The scope of the action is unmatched because of how unflinchingly real it all feels. It’s safe to say that over 70 years after its release, there will never be another movie quite like this one. However, Kurosawa was somehow able to top it.
1. Red Beard (1965)
The works of Akira Kurosawa share a similar message: to value human life. Out of all of his 30 feature films, Red Beard is where this message is strongest. The story follows a young medical genius destined for greatness by becoming a lord’s personal physician. Only to wind up serving the public and the downtrodden under a wise old doctor, nicknamed ‘Red Beard.’ Over the three hours and several vignettes, the young doctor learns the value of every human life. He sees how everyone has a story to tell, and how everyone in this community deserves love and care.
Each story he hears and each patient he treats gets him closer to realizing why the universe brought him to Red Beard. And when a victory in a samurai story might be a climactic swordfight, this story’s grand achievement is when the young doctor puts on his uniform for the first time. The single greatest character arc Akira Kurosawa ever directed is of this main character, who was once masked in prejudice. But by the end of the story, he helps his community in unrecognizable ways, realizing his true potential. Red Beard also shows remarkable filmmaking, with cinematography and music on par with Kurosawa’s other best works. This one stands above the rest for its unadulterated love for humanity and the world we live in.
