Find something to watch for every mood. Browse 4,480 of the best films ever made — voted on by the world's critics in the Sight & Sound poll — each with a trailer and up-to-date streaming options. Filter by genre, decade, country, language, runtime, or director, or explore our hand-curated film collections.
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A samurai answers a village's request for protection after he falls on hard times. The town needs protection from bandits, so the samurai gathers six others to help him teach the people how to defend themselves, and the villagers provide the soldiers with food.
Ran (1985)
Akira Kurosawa · 21 critic votes
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Shakespeare's King Lear is reimagined as a singular historical epic set in sixteenth-century Japan where an aging warlord divides his kingdom between his three sons.
Rashomon (1950)
Akira Kurosawa · 75 critic votes
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Four people recount different versions of the story of a man's murder and the rape of his wife.
Harakiri (1962)
Masaki Kobayashi · 7 critic votes
Streaming on Criterion Channel
Down-on-his-luck veteran Tsugumo Hanshirō enters the courtyard of the prosperous House of Iyi. Unemployed, and with no family, he hopes to find a place to commit seppuku—and a worthy second to deliver the coup de grâce in his suicide ritual. The senior counselor for the Iyi clan questions the ronin’s resolve and integrity, suspecting Hanshirō of seeking charity rather than an honorable end. What follows is a pair of interlocking stories which lay bare the difference between honor and respect, and promises to examine the legendary foundations of the Samurai code.
Yojimbo (1961)
Akira Kurosawa · 11 critic votes
Streaming on Kanopy, Criterion Channel, HBO Max Amazon Channel
A nameless ronin, or samurai with no master, enters a small village in feudal Japan where two rival businessmen are struggling for control of the local gambling trade. Taking the name Sanjuro Kuwabatake, the ronin convinces both silk merchant Tazaemon and sake merchant Tokuemon to hire him as a personal bodyguard, then artfully sets in motion a full-scale gang war between the two ambitious and unscrupulous men.
Throne of Blood (1957)
Akira Kurosawa · 11 critic votes
Streaming on Criterion Channel, HBO Max Amazon Channel, HBO Max
Returning to their lord's castle, samurai warriors Washizu and Miki are waylaid by a spirit who predicts their futures. When the first part of the spirit's prophecy comes true, Washizu's scheming wife, Asaji, presses him to speed up the rest of the spirit's prophecy by murdering his lord and usurping his place. Director Akira Kurosawa's resetting of William Shakespeare's "Macbeth" in feudal Japan is one of his most acclaimed films.
Kagemusha (1980)
Akira Kurosawa · 2 critic votes
Akira Kurosawa's lauded feudal epic presents the tale of a petty thief who is recruited to impersonate Shingen, an aging warlord, in order to avoid attacks by competing clans. When Shingen dies, his generals reluctantly agree to have the impostor take over as the powerful ruler. He soon begins to appreciate life as Shingen, but his commitment to the role is tested when he must lead his troops into battle against the forces of a rival warlord.
The Hidden Fortress (1958)
Akira Kurosawa · 1 critic vote
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In feudal Japan, during a bloody war between clans, two cowardly and greedy peasants, soldiers of a defeated army, stumble upon a mysterious man who guides them to a fortress hidden in the mountains.
Lady Snowblood (1973)
Toshiya Fujita · 1 critic vote
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Yuki's family is nearly wiped out before she is born due to the machinations of a band of criminals. These criminals kidnap and brutalize her mother but leave her alive. Later her mother ends up in prison with only revenge to keep her alive. She creates an instrument for this revenge by purposefully getting pregnant. Yuki never knows the love of a family but only killing and revenge.
Samurai Rebellion (1967)
Masaki Kobayashi · 2 critic votes
Streaming on Criterion Channel
The mother of a feudal lord's only heir is kidnapped by the lord. Her husband and his samurai father must decide whether to accept the unjust decision, or risk death to rescue her.
Kill (1962)
Kenji Misumi · 1 critic vote
Streaming on Criterion Channel
In Edo-period Japan, Shingo is born the son of an assassin who was executed for murdering her lord’s concubine. Decades later, his adoptive family is massacred for keeping the secret. Armed with an unbeatable swordfighting technique, Shingo embarks on the path of the masterless samurai in search of vengeance and a path beyond his own ignominious origins.