10 Best Samurai Movies (That Aren't Directed by Akira Kurosawa or Masaki Kobayashi)
10 Best Samurai Movies (That Aren't Directed by Akira Kurosawa or Masaki Kobayashi)
They forgot Zatoichi by Kitano: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0363226/
Thanks for mentioning it!
What about that one with Tom Cruise?
Where's any of the Hawk And Chick movies?
Not quite a samurai movie, but Sancho The Bailiff is a period piece about slavery in feudal Japan that is both gorgeous and heartbreaking. I don't think I'd watch it a second time because it's so painful but what a great film!
If we're talking jidaigeki (as they include Lady Snowblood) then also up for consideration:
- Zatoichi: The Blind Swordsman (2003)
- Kwaidan (1964)
- Kuroneko (1968)
- Onibaba (1964)
- Lone Wolf and Cub (1972-1974)
- The Hidden Blade (2004)
- The Twilight Samurai (2002)
- When the Last Sword is Drawn (2002)
- 13 Assassins (2010)
- Sansho the Bailiff (1954)
- Shogun's Samurai (1978)
- Ugetsu (1953)
- A Story from Chikamatsu (1954)
- Goyokin (1969)
- Irezumi (1966)
- A Story of Floating Weeds (1934) / Floating Weeds (1959)
- Samurai Banners (1969)
- Oniwaban (1978)
- Unforgiven (2013) - not that one but a samurai remake
See also my list: jidaigeki
Not a lot survives from before WW2, here's the earliest I'm aware of: Jiraiya the Hero (1921)
I'd not really thought of Ozu as director of samurai movies.
As they included Lady Snowblood (which isn't really a samurai film) I took it as an excuse to broaden the scope to jidaigeki in general.
Most of these films can be found on the good ol' Internet Archive. In fact if you have Kodi you can stream them directly. Just install the Kore remote on your Android device and share a link with Kodi. But don't forget to drop our friends at archive.org a donation to say thanks for all their efforts.