1954 Movie, Filmed in Japan, Named ‘Most Groundbreaking Movie’ of All Time

Akira Kurosawa’s 1954 Japanese epic Seven Samurai has been ranked the No. 1 most groundbreaking movie of all time, more than seven decades after it first reached audiences.

The film was praised for its powerful screenplay, large-scale action, memorable characters and filmmaking techniques that later became common in action and war movies. Collider’s ranking places Seven Samurai above other landmark films, calling it a foundational work for the epic action genre.

The ranking points first to the film’s screenplay. The story follows many characters and takes place across about three and a half hours, while holding most of its major action until later in the movie.

Collider described the film as having a “perfect screenplay” and argued that movies made after 1954 that are long and filled with action owe something to Seven Samurai.

Released in Japan on April 26, 1954, Seven Samurai runs for 207 minutes. The movie tells the story of a poor farming village that hires seven samurai to protect it from bandits planning to return after the harvest.

The film was directed by Akira Kurosawa and stars Toshiro Mifune, Takashi Shimura, Isao Kimura, Daisuke Kato, Seiji Miyaguchi, Yoshio Inaba and Minoru Chiaki as the seven warriors.

The movie’s influence goes far beyond its original Japanese setting.

Smithsonian Magazine explained that even people who have never watched Seven Samurai may have already seen stories influenced by it. The film’s basic idea of bringing together a group of skilled fighters for one mission appeared in later movies and other forms of popular entertainment.

Its direct Hollywood remake, The Magnificent Seven, arrived in 1960. Other works connected to the film’s influence include The Guns of Navarone, The Dirty Dozen, Three Amigos! and Pixar’s A Bug’s Life.

Roger Ebert also described Seven Samurai as a film that helped create a genre that continued through the rest of the 20th century. He pointed to its group-mission structure as an important idea that later appeared in war, heist and action movies.

Making Seven Samurai was not easy.

Production began on May 27, 1953, with filming taking place at Toho Studios and on locations in Shizuoka and Kanagawa prefectures. Kurosawa wanted to film outdoors, including in a mountainous area west of Tokyo, while heavy rain repeatedly slowed production.

The movie also became extremely expensive for its time.

According to Smithsonian Magazine, the production budget reached about 10 times the average cost of a Japanese film. Toho had to pause filming while finding additional money to keep the production going.

The film eventually received a total production budget of ¥210 million, making it the most expensive Japanese movie made at that time. Filming finished in 1954 after 148 working days.

Despite the problems, Kurosawa continued with his ambitious plan.

The story is set in 16th-century Japan and centers on farmers who fear repeated attacks from bandits. The village elder advises them to find samurai who will fight in exchange for food.

The group eventually becomes seven warriors led by Kambei, a veteran ronin played by Takashi Shimura. Toshiro Mifune plays Kikuchiyo, a loud and unpredictable man who claims to be a samurai despite being born a peasant.

Their relationship with the villagers becomes an important part of the story.

The samurai and farmers come from different social classes, and the film shows the distrust between them. Kikuchiyo eventually challenges the samurai by explaining that peasants have suffered because of samurai as well.

The movie also follows the relationship between the young samurai Katsushirō and Shino, a farmer’s daughter. Their romance crosses the social rules of the period and becomes another example of the film’s focus on duty, class and tradition.

The final battle brings the samurai and villagers together against the bandits. Several of the seven warriors die during the fight, while the village survives.

Seven Samurai received the Silver Lion for direction at the Venice Film Festival. It was also nominated for two Academy Awards and three BAFTAs, although it did not win those awards.

Rotten Tomatoes currently lists the film with a 100% Tomatometer score from 103 reviews and a 97% Popcornmeter score from more than 50,000 ratings.

More than 70 years after its Japanese release, Seven Samurai remains closely linked to the development of modern action filmmaking.

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