Guide Note: Akira Kurosawa's Seven Samurai is widely regarded as one of the best and most influential films of all time. It launched the career of famed Japanese actor, Toshiro Mifune. Numerous films have copied the "seven samurai" structure, most notably The Magnificent Seven, Ocean's Eleven and Pixar's A Bug's Life. The film also introduced to Toshiro Mifune, who would make 16 films with Kurosawa and go on to become one of the most famous Japanese actors of all time.
Fast Facts:
- Released in Japan in 1954; US in 1956
- Budget was roughly $500,000
- Original running time: 207 minutes
- One of the first modern action films
- Film was set in 1586
