Films with theme "Samurai films", sorted by rating

, 4h7
Directed by Quentin Tarantino
Origin USA
Genres Drama, Thriller, Martial arts, Action, Crime, Animation, Western, Martial arts
Themes Feminist films, Seafaring films, Sports films, Transport films, Martial arts films, Samurai films, Yakuza films, Political films, Kung fu films, Gangster films
Actors Uma Thurman, David Carradine, Lucy Liu, Michael Madsen, Daryl Hannah, Sonny Chiba

A woman in a wedding dress, the Bride (Uma Thurman), lies wounded in a church, having been attacked by the Deadly Viper Assassination Squad. She tells their leader, Bill (David Carradine), that she is carrying his baby. He shoots her.

, 3h27
Directed by Akira Kurosawa
Origin Japon
Genres Drama, Action, Adventure
Themes Seafaring films, Sports films, Transport films, Martial arts films, Samurai films, Alternate history films
Actors Takashi Shimura, Toshiro Mifune, Isao Kimura, Seiji Miyaguchi, Yoshio Inaba, Daisuke Katō

Marauding bandits approach a rural mountain village, but their chief decides to spare it until after the harvest because they had raided it before. The plan is overheard by a farmer who tells the rest of village. Lamenting their fate, three farmers ask Gisaku, the village elder and miller, for advice. He declares they should hire samurai to defend the village. Since they have no money to offer, Gisaku tells them to find hungry samurai.

, 2h15
Directed by Masaki Kobayashi
Origin Japon
Genres Drama, Action, Historical
Themes Seafaring films, Sports films, Films about suicide, Transport films, Martial arts films, Samurai films
Actors Tatsuya Nakadai, Rentarō Mikuni, Shima Iwashita, Kei Satō, Hisashi Igawa, Yoshio Inaba

Edo, 1630. Tsugumo Hanshirō arrives at the estate of the Ii clan and says that he wishes to commit seppuku within the courtyard of the palace. To deter him Saitō Kageyu (Rentarō Mikuni), the Daimyo's senior counselor, tells Hanshirō the story of another rōnin, Chijiiwa Motome – formerly of the same clan as Hanshirō.

, 2h8
Directed by Masaki Kobayashi
Origin Japon
Genres Drama, Action, Historical, Romance
Themes Seafaring films, Sports films, Transport films, Martial arts films, Samurai films
Actors Toshiro Mifune, Yōko Tsukasa, Isao Yamagata, Jun Hamamura, Tatsuya Nakadai, Gō Katō

In the Edo period of Japan, Isaburo Sasahara (Toshiro Mifune) is a vassal of the daimyo of the Aisu clan. Sasahara is the most skilled swordsman in the land, whose only rival in ability is his good friend Tatewaki Asano (Tatsuya Nakadai). Isaburo is in a loveless marriage with a shrew of a woman. One day one of the daimyo's advisors orders Isaburo's elder son Yogoro (Go Kato) to marry the daimyo's ex-concubine, Ichi (Yoko Tsukasa), even though she is the mother to one of the daimyo's sons. With much trepidation, the family agrees. In time, Ichi and Yogoro find love and happiness in the marriage and a daughter Tomi is born.

, 1h50
Directed by Akira Kurosawa
Origin Japon
Genres Drama, Thriller, Action, Adventure
Themes Seafaring films, Sports films, Transport films, Martial arts films, Samurai films
Actors Toshiro Mifune, Tatsuya Nakadai, Yōko Tsukasa, Isuzu Yamada, Takashi Shimura, Daisuke Katō

It is 1860, and the era of the Tokugawa shogunate is coming to a close. A rōnin, or masterless samurai, wanders into a small town divided by a gang war between two gangsters, Seibei and Ushitora. Ushitora used to be Seibei's right-hand man, until Seibei decided that his son Yoichiro would succeed him. Tazaemon, the silk merchant and mayor, backs Seibei, while Tokuemon the sake brewer is allied with Ushitora. Gonji, the owner of an inn, advises the stranger to leave while he can, but after sizing up the situation, the rōnin tells Gonji that the town would be better off with both sides dead, and that he intends to stay.

, 2h42
Directed by Akira Kurosawa
Origin Japon
Genres Drama, Action, Historical
Themes Films about families, Seafaring films, Sports films, Théâtre, Transport films, Martial arts films, Samurai films, Political films, Films based on plays, Films based on works by William Shakespeare, Films about royalty
Actors Tatsuya Nakadai, Akira Terao, Jinpachi Nezu, Mieko Harada, Hisashi Igawa, Kenji Kodama

Hidetora Ichimonji, a powerful warlord, experiences a dream reminding him that he's showing his age and decides to divide his kingdom among his three sons: Taro, Jiro, and Saburo. Taro, the eldest, will receive the prestigious First Castle and become leader of the Ichimonji clan, while Jiro and Saburo will be given the Second and Third Castles. Hidetora will retain the title of Great Lord and Jiro and Saburo are to support Taro.

, 2h19
Directed by Akira Kurosawa
Origin Japon
Genres Drama, Comedy, Action, Adventure
Themes Seafaring films, Sports films, Transport films, Martial arts films, Samurai films
Actors Toshiro Mifune, Minoru Chiaki, Kamatari Fujiwara, Misa Uehara, Takashi Shimura, Susumu Fujita

The film begins with two bedraggled peasants, Tahei and Matashichi (Minoru Chiaki and Kamatari Fujiwara). Through conversation, they reveal that they had intended to fight alongside the Yamana clan, but turned up too late, were taken for soldiers of the defeated Akizuki clan, and forced to bury the dead. After quarreling and splitting up, the two are both captured again and forced to dig for gold in the Akizuki castle with other prisoners.

, 1h45
Directed by Akira Kurosawa
Origin Japon
Genres Drama, Historical
Themes Seafaring films, Sports films, Théâtre, Transport films, Martial arts films, Samurai films, Political films, Films based on plays, Films based on works by William Shakespeare, Films about royalty
Actors Toshiro Mifune, Isuzu Yamada, Takashi Shimura, Minoru Chiaki, Akira Kubo, Kokuten Kōdō

Generals Miki and Washizu are Samurai commanders under a local lord, Lord Tsuzuki, who reigns in the castle of the Spider's Web Forest. After defeating the lord's enemies in battle, they return to Tsuzuki's castle. On their way through the thick forest surrounding the castle, they meet a spirit, who foretells their future. The spirit tells them that today Washizu will be named Lord of the Northern Garrison and Miki will now be commander of the first fortress. She then foretells that Washizu will eventually become Lord of Spiderweb Castle, and finally she tells Miki that his son will also become lord of the castle.

, 2h9
Directed by Yōji Yamada
Origin Japon
Genres Drama, Action, Historical, Romance
Themes Seafaring films, Sports films, Transport films, Martial arts films, Samurai films
Actors Hiroyuki Sanada, Rie Miyazawa, Nenji Kobayashi, Ren Osugi, Mitsuru Fukikoshi, Miki Hirano

At the start of the film, the main character, Iguchi Seibei, becomes a widower when his wife succumbs to tuberculosis. His wife receives a grand funeral, more than what a low-ranking samurai such as Seibei could afford. Seibei works in the grain warehouse, accounting for stores inventory for the samurai clan. His samurai colleagues mock him behind his back with the nickname Tasogare (Twilight). When evening approaches, Seibei rushes home to look after his senile elderly mother and two young daughters, Kayano and Ito, instead of bonding with his supervisor and other samurai colleagues over customary nights of dinner, geisha entertainment, and sake drinking. Even though he is a samurai, Seibei neglects his appearance, failing to bathe and being shabbily dressed. The well-being of his young daughters and medicine for his mother take priority over new clothes or the monthly bath fee and his daughters say they are both happy, even without a mother.

, 1h51
Directed by Quentin Tarantino
Genres Thriller, Martial arts, Action, Crime
Themes Feminist films, Seafaring films, Sports films, Transport films, Martial arts films, Samurai films, Yakuza films, Political films, Kung fu films, Gangster films
Actors Uma Thurman, Lucy Liu, Vivica A. Fox, Daryl Hannah, David Carradine, Michael Madsen

A woman in a wedding dress, the Bride, lies wounded in a church in El Paso, having been attacked by the Deadly Viper Assassination Squad. She tells their leader, Bill, that she is carrying his baby. He shoots her.

, 2h16
Directed by Quentin Tarantino
Origin USA
Genres Thriller, Martial arts, Action, Crime, Martial arts
Themes Feminist films, Seafaring films, Sports films, Transport films, Martial arts films, Samurai films, Political films, Kung fu films
Actors Uma Thurman, David Carradine, Lucy Liu, Vivica A. Fox, Michael Madsen, Daryl Hannah

The pregnant Bride and her groom rehearse their wedding. Bill, the Bride's former lover, father of her child, and leader of the Deadly Viper Assassination Squad, arrives unexpectedly. On Bill's orders, the Deadly Vipers kill everyone at the wedding, but the Bride survives and swears revenge.

, 1h36
Directed by Akira Kurosawa
Origin Japon
Genres Drama, Comedy, Action
Themes Seafaring films, Sports films, Transport films, Martial arts films, Samurai films
Actors Toshiro Mifune, Tatsuya Nakadai, Keiju Kobayashi, Reiko Dan, Yūzō Kayama, Takashi Shimura

Nine young samurai, including his nephew, believe that the lord chamberlain, Mutsuta, is corrupt after he tore up their petition against organised crime and said maybe he himself was behind the crimes. One of them tells the superintendent of this and he agrees to intervene. As the nine meet secretly at a shrine and discuss their problem, a ronin (Mifune) emerges from another room where he has been resting. The ronin has overheard their plans, and suggests that the superintendent is in fact the real corrupt official. While at first the samurai are insulted by his claims, they soon find themselves surrounded by the superintendent's men, proving that he was correct. The ronin hits a few of the attackers and bluffs their leader into leaving, taking only a small amount of money in reward to buy food because he is starving; however, after realizing that Mutsuta and his family must now be in danger, he decides to help the samurai bring down the corrupt officials.

, 3h
Directed by Akira Kurosawa, Ishirō Honda
Origin Japon
Genres Drama, War, Action, Historical
Themes Seafaring films, Sports films, Transport films, Martial arts films, Samurai films, Children's films
Actors Tatsuya Nakadai, Tsutomu Yamazaki, Jinpachi Nezu, Hideji Ōtaki, Masayuki Yui, Kaori Momoi

Lord Shingen Takeda meets with his brother Nobukado, and a thief whom the latter met by chance and spared from crucifixion. Nobukado believes the thief's uncanny resemblance to Shingen would prove useful. The brothers then agree that he would prove useful as a double, and they decide to use the thief as a kagemusha.

, 1h59
Directed by Kihachi Okamoto
Origin Japon
Genres Drama, Action
Themes Seafaring films, Sports films, Transport films, Martial arts films, Samurai films
Actors Tatsuya Nakadai, Yūzō Kayama, Michiyo Aratama, Toshiro Mifune, Ryosuke Kagawa, Kei Satō

The story follows the life of Ryunosuke Tsukue (Tatsuya Nakadai), an amoral samurai and a master swordsman with an unorthodox style. Ryunosuke is first seen when he kills an elderly Buddhist pilgrim who he finds praying for death. He appears to have no feeling. Later, he kills an opponent in self-defense in a fencing competition that was intended to be non-lethal, but became a duel after he coerced his opponent's wife to have sex with him in exchange for throwing the match and allowing her husband to win. His opponent finds out about the affair prior to the match, and is shown giving his wife a notice of divorce. His rage at Ryunosuke during the match causes him to take an illegal lunging attack after the judge proclaims a draw, and Ryunosuke, the better swordsman, parries and kills him with one stroke of his bokken. Ryunosuke flees town after killing the man, and cuts down many of the dead opponent's clansmen who attack him as he is leaving. His opponent's ex-wife asks to go along with him. To make a living, Ryunosuke joins the Shinsengumi, a sort of semi-official police force made up of rōnin that supports the Tokugawa shogunate through murder and assassinations.

, 1h21
Directed by Kenji Misumi
Origin Japon
Genres Drama, Action
Themes Seafaring films, Sports films, Transport films, Martial arts films, Samurai films
Actors Tomisaburō Wakayama, Kayo Matsuo, Akiji Kobayashi

The disgraced former executioner, or Kogi Kaishakunin to the shogun, Ogami Ittō is now living rough on the land with his three-year-old son Daigoro, travelling the countryside as a hired killer. Pushing his son in a baby cart, he stops at a bathhouse looking for a room and a bath, and is eagerly welcomed in by a young woman. However, the manager of the house sees Ittō as a dirty vagabond and scolds the young woman for letting him in the house. Overhearing this, Ittō goes to the baby cart and retrieves a bundle and hands it to the manager for safe keeping – it is 500 gold pieces, earned from a recent job. The manager's tone quickly changes, but when he tries to wash Daigoro's feet, the boy kicks water at the old man and tromps across the floor, leaving wet footprints.