Seven Samurai

In Akira Kurosawa’s landmark epic, the inhabitants of a sixteenth-century Japanese village hire Seven Samurai for defense against invading bandits. Carefully balancing delicate emotion and poetic philosophy with grand-scale action and thrilling entertainment, Kurosawa’s masterpiece remains one of the towering treasures of world cinema, influencing generations of filmmakers, and inspiring legions of adaptations (The Magnificent Seven) and knockoffs (Battle Beyond the Stars). Plus, it’s tied with Ikiru as Cliff Booth’s favorite Kurosawa flick!