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What's your favourite Samurai film?


Omni Dragon

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BlackLamaFaction

That's a tough one. I could narrow it to maybe 5.

Full Circle Killing

Shoguns Samurai: The Yagyu Conspiracy

Goyokin

Yojimbo

Lone Wolf and Cub 3: Baby Cart to Hades (The Absolute best of the series)

and of course The Sword of Doom

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Is "Full Circle of Killing" also known as "Sleepy Eyes Of Death 3"??

I gotta look some of these bad boys up!!

I'm a Samurai film novice...so my top one is Seven Samurai. I know I know...that's probably like a given in this category.

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masterofoneinchpunch

Absolute favorite would be Yojimbo followed by Seppuku (Harakiri) -- get the Criterion editions of both of these. Yojimbo/Sanjuro just came out on blu-ray last week on Criterion.

I've liked so much with Tatsuya Nakadai and/or Toshiro Mifune it is hard to pick though.

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BlackLamaFaction
Is "Full Circle of Killing" also known as "Sleepy Eyes Of Death 3"??

I gotta look some of these bad boys up!!

I'm a Samurai film novice...so my top one is Seven Samurai. I know I know...that's probably like a given in this category.

Yeah, Full Circle is part 3 of Sleepy Eyes. It's by far the most violent and in my opinion the best of the series. Animeigo has realesed the first 4 films in excellent quality on DVD. I think 5-8 comes out this summer. 9-12 I don't know, hopefully soon because these films are really hard to find in good quality like this.

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BlackLamaFaction: I also hope that Animeigo releases 9-12 but if they don't Merlin over at SamuraiDVD.com did in fact get remastered copies and subtitle the entire series plus he got #13&14 that were made after Raizo's death and they were great movies also that you should add to your collection, to complete the series.

Now its so hard to say which movies are truly the best there are Samurai movies they haven't seen a legit release that are totally awesome like "Ninja Hunt", great movie. But if I had to say the best movies are Lone Wolf & Cub Series I cannot pinpoint my favorite one out of the bunch I'd have to go back and watch the entire series.

Masaki Kobayashi's "Samurai Rebellion", starring Toshiro Mifune (Rashomon, Shogun), is the most traditional of the four: Visually elegant and austere, it meticulously traces how a forced marriage leads to a family's collapse in a bloodbath. Repressed emotions erupt in honor-shattering violence as a father and son turn against the lord of their clan in the name of love.

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kungfusamurai

Awwww...no one has mentioned a Zatoichi flick! I wish he could have fought his brother Wakayama Tomisaburo in the early 70s period. Now that would have been cool! And I bet it would have been the best samurai flick ever! :)

I can't remember which Ichi flick I liked the most, it was probably one of the late 60s ones. They're all so good, but if I have to pick one, I'll pick the one where he battles the Fugitives, which was one of the last of the Daieis.

KFS

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BlackLamaFaction
Awwww...no one has mentioned a Zatoichi flick! I wish he could have fought his brother Wakayama Tomisaburo in the early 70s period. Now that would have been cool! And I bet it would have been the best samurai flick ever! :)

I can't remember which Ichi flick I liked the most, it was probably one of the late 60s ones. They're all so good, but if I have to pick one, I'll pick the one where he battles the Fugitives, which was one of the last of the Daieis.

KFS

I just started watching the Mute Samurai series from that period. Tomisaburo and Katsu are in it together. They haven't had a duel yet, but it looks like it's heading in that direction. I would love to see that too.

That's great news Daisho, many thanks for the info. Samurai Rebellion; couldn't agree more, an absolute perfect samurai film. Mifune was great the way he handled the situation. First they push an undesirable bride on his son then have the balls to demand her back. The last hour of the film was amazing and then the Nakadai, Mifune duel at the end. Great stuff.

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It's tough to narrow it down to just one, so I'll list my 4 absolute favorites from 4 master directors:

Seven Samurai (1954)

Director Akira Kurosawa's greatest film, and one of the best films (if not THE best film) ever made.

Samurai Rebellion (1967)

Director Masaaki Kobayashi's greatest film, even better than Seppuku, IMHO. I totally agree with daisho2004 and BlackLama on this one. It's perfection.

The Last Samurai (1974)

Director Kenji Misumi's last film was also his greatest. A truly moving masterpiece about the end of the samurai.

The Yagyu Conspiracy (1978)

Director Kinji Fukasaku's first "samurai film" was also his greatest. An all-star extravaganza that rejuvenated the genre and spawned the equally great (and in some ways superior) TV series of the same name.

Awwww...no one has mentioned a Zatoichi flick!

Maybe because they aren't strickly speaking "samurai films", they're period yakuza films with occasional samurai (usually a lone ronin) popping up to fight Ichi. Now if by "samurai film" we're talking about Jidai-Geki (period films), then Zatoichi would qualify and be included in my 4 favorite film series (in chronological order):

The Samurai Trilogy (3 films - 1954-1956)

Yojimbo/Sanjuro (2 films - 1961-1962)

Zatoichi (26 films - 1962-1989)

Lone Wolf and Cub (6 films - 1972-1974)

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Personally, it's a tie between Sanjuro, Yojimbo and Samurai Spy with a big honorable mention to Throne of Blood, Harakiri, Sword of Doom and Samurai Assassin (which hopefully Criterion rereleases one day).

Samurai Spy though is a big fav and one of my most watched samurai movies.

7427-samurai-spy.jpg

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You bastards just had to put "of all time" there didn't you!?:tongue2:

I would have to go with either Yojimbo or Fall of Ako Castle.

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For me it has to be Masaki Kobayashi's Samurai Rebellion with Sword of Doom coming in at a close second.

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Chinatown Kid

Does Blind Fury qualify? :crossedlips:

Actually Shogun Assassin is my favorite slice and dice Samurai flick.

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Actually Shogun Assassin is my favorite slice and dice Samurai flick.

:khi4a:

COMPLETELY Agree!

For me:

LONE WOLF & CUB 1-4

SEVEN SAMURAI

ZATOICHI 12: ZATOICHI AND THE CHESS EXPERT

ZATOICHI 15: ZATOICHI'S CANE SWORD

YOJIMBO

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It has to be Yojimbo ! I think that movie is one of the greatest movies of all time (!) & definitely Kurosawa's BEST ! Throne of Blood is an awesome movie too ! Then I would pick Lone wolf & cub !

Athena

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