Yojimbo... The Hidden Fortress... The Seven Samurai... Throne of Blood... Kagemusha... Ran... What do these popular Samurai films have in common? Simple answer: they're all directed by Akira Kurosawa. Samurai films have traditionally been categorized into two kinds by film enthusiasts: ones directed by Akira Kurosawa, and everything else.

There are two main factors which make Kurosawa's films standout among Japanese costume epics. Chief among them, his films' dynamic and direct international appeal. Take a look at the titles I mentioned at the beginning, you see that the first three became the basis for some of the most popular movies produced in the last half century, namingly, A Fistful of Dollars (based on Yojimbo), Star Wars (inspired by The Hidden Fortress), and The Magnificent Seven (remake of The Seven Samurai). On the other hand, Throne of Blood and Ran are adaptations of Shakespeare's tragedies (Macbeth, and King Lear, respectively). The other factor stems from Kurosawa's real-life Samurai family background, as well from his integrity as an artist and a perfectionist.

His action-oriented epics are never simple tales of vengeance, or duelling-dojo stories which are the most frequent plot themes in Eastern action movies, and neither his films portray the Samurai themselves as simple heroes. Through subtle dialogs, the spirit of Bushido as well as the grievous karma (rather than glory) of a Samurai's life are conveyed while entertaining us the audience in every other way. Bringing out that "tragic" side of the Samurai clan is something a non-Samurai filmmaker is not readily qualified to do, nor generally interested in doing in the first place.