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Even without considering his blockbuster movies, Akira Kurosawa He remains one of the greatest and most important filmmakers of all time, having supported such Rashomon, the throne of blood, Yesand High and Low. There’s a lot going on in all of these movies, and with High and Low, you have to admit that you have something that’s pretty close to being big in its runtime, but it would be a bit of a stretch to call these movies in the traditional sense.
Kurosawa directed a total of seven great films, however, all of which are ranked below. Some of them are among his best movies for sure, and a couple are even up there among the best movies of all time. They’re all worth watching, so really, this ranking might only be useful if you want to know in what order you should watch these movies or, like, what to prioritize them, basically.
7
‘The Idiot’ (1951)
Therefore, The Idiot so called because it is based on the Fyodor Dostoevsky of charge novel of the same name, but on the subject of racism or stupidity, someone asked the film to be cut down from Kurosawa’s original vision, and then the longer version was lost to time. It’s not as bad as some other movies that are completely lost, because The Idiotas it is, still big at 166 minutes long, and there’s enough here to make it a worthwhile read if you’re a fan of Akira Kurosawa.
But the original cut was 100 minutes longer, so it would have ended up being Kurosawa’s longest film had he lived in that state. Even if it was released in two parts, it would now be seen as one complete epic, a bit of a Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair sort of situation, maybe. Unfortunately, that folly existed, and the correct version was not preserved. So, judging what can be judged The Idiot, it’s definitely flawed and feels incomplete, so it has to go last herebut Kurosawa can’t be blamed for that, when he expected this to be even more ambitious (and who knows… a four and a half hour cut could have been amazing).
6
‘Dersu Uzala’ (1975)
After the 1960s were over, Akira Kurosawa’s output declined, as he went from directing an average of at least one film a year between 1943 and 1965 (24 feature films during this period) to directing just seven between 1970 and 1993. But out of those seven, three were all-time epics, and he was definitely getting older, and he was definitely a ambitions as he got older. Dersu Uzala indeed one of those events, and perhaps the most unusual as well.
It was a Russian language film, and a Soviet + Japanese co-production, which certainly makes it stand out among Kurosawa’s films, and then also feels unique because it is a survival film of sorts, focusing on two people navigating and exploring parts of the Russian Far East near the beginning of the 20th century. It might be a little disappointing by Akira Kurosawa standards, but it’s still pretty good, and even “Weak” by Kurosawa’s standards is still better than the best of what many directors are able to put out..
5
‘Red Man’ (1965)
Like The Idiot, Red Beard it doesn’t quite fulfill the conventions of the epic genre, but it has a long running time and is very ambitious, clocking in at just over three hours. It’s just that there aren’t huge set pieces here, or a huge time span covered, but there are very few characters, even if there’s a main thrust. Red Beard it’s about a pair of them: an experienced doctor and his somewhat unconventional advice to a young trainee.
It’s long and not exactly fast-paced, but Red Beard is still an engaging and well-acted drama.
And it also takes place back in the 19th century, so that time setting is another thing you often find in the genre. It’s long and not exactly fast-paced, though Red Beard it remains an engaging and well-acted drama (Good acting is pretty much inevitable when Toshiro Mifune the lead actor, but unfortunately this was the last time – of 16 films in total – he and Kurosawa collaborated on a film).
4
‘Kagemusha’ (1980)
Step up from Dersu Uzalawhich was an early indication of Akira Kurosawa’s skillful use of color, Cagemusha it came out fifty years later, and then it was something he picked up later in another five years (but more on that big movie in a bit). Cagemusha it is something of a historical drama, with some basis in history, but then it’s also very surreal at times with its visualsworks as a psychological drama that feels a bit dreamy at times, but not a fantasy or horror film in the traditional sense.
It’s about a warlord dying suddenly, and then those who served him get double for pretending to be that warlord, just so news of a death doesn’t lead to more conflict and bloodshed. Things don’t go as planned, of course, and the conflict continues in other interesting ways anyway. Cagemusha it’s not quite paced or perfectly executed, and you’ll definitely feel the three-hour running time here, but there’s still so much stuff that works, all to the point where it’s easy to call it a really good movie regardless.
3
‘The Hidden Fortress’ (1958)
Perhaps the closest Akira Kurosawa came to directing a blockbuster (or the type of film that would later be called a blockbuster, as that is more of a term from the 1970s onwards), The Hidden Fortress about two farmers helping to bring together a man and a woman who also happen to be a general and a princess, respectively. They go through a dangerous area, and that’s what gives The Hidden Fortress an adventure that undoubtedly feels sex-wise.
It’s just under 2.5 hours, so definitely on the slim side of things as far as epics go, but it’s still just enough of an epic (large enough scale and all) to count here. The use of widescreen certainly adds to the sense of grandeur, as this was the first time Kurosawa directed a film that wasn’t in the previously standard 4:3 aspect ratio, so it’s great to see him use that extra space to continue the restraint and brilliant direction he’s always been known for. And The Hidden Fortress it’s also a ton of fun, of course, being a crowd-pleasing kind of movie with a decent helping of action and comedy thrown in for good measure.
2
‘Ran’ (1985)
As a war movie, something inspired by King Learand also a film that has some basis in historical events, Ran there is a lot going on all at once. At the same time, it’s very patient in pace, and then as far as big movies go, it’s also on the shorter side of things, clocking in at 162 minutes. Ran plays by its own rules and feels unique in terms of pacing and overall feel, and then later, it looks as good as a movie ever has (honestly, no hyperbole).
Arguing that Ran does Kurosawa’s magnum opus feel fair enough, given everything he’s done/directed in the 40-ish years before that Ran, even if it wouldn’t be the literal end of Akira Kurosawa’s filmmakingsince he directed several films thereafter Ran. Of them, Dreams it was really good, but Ran still feels like his final masterpiece, and is, without a doubt, essential viewing for anyone with even the slightest interest in classic/international cinema.
1
‘Seven Samurai’ (1954)
For being so amazing Ran that is, it must always be second Seven Samurai also in the conversation, as this is about as big a deal as big movies have ever been edited. It is also fair to call it Seven Samurai one of the most influential and innovative films of all time, because it did a lot to figure out the best way to handle a big action movie in terms of structure, character development, pacing, and any other relevant narrative thing you can think of.
Speaking of the narrative, it’s technically simple, as the concept involves heroes being recruited to help defend a town from invading bandits, but that’s about it Seven Samurai doing with the base that is special. Also, Seven Samurai almost three and a half hours long, and it’s never even close to being boring for a second of that runtime, with proper pacing and construction. Everything you could want from a classic film is epic, and it is the most beautiful of Akira Kurosawa’s masterpieces.
