What is the best Akira Kurosawa movie of all time?

From samurai epics to intimate character studies, Kurosawa's filmography spans decades of breathtaking cinematic invention — spanning black-and-white masterworks and sweeping color epics alike. Which one stands above the rest?

1

Seven Samurai

An epic tale of seven samurai hired to defend a poor village from ruthless bandits, widely considered one of the greatest films ever made.

2

Rashomon

A murder in a grove is recounted by four witnesses, each with their own contradictory version of events, in this landmark exploration of truth and perception.

3

Yojimbo

A wandering samurai plays two warring crime families against each other in a corrupt town, inspiring countless Western films.

4

Sanjuro

The scruffy ronin Sanjuro helps a group of naive young samurai navigate clan politics and corruption in this witty sequel to Yojimbo.

5

Ran

An aging warlord divides his kingdom among his three sons, unleashing treachery, war, and tragedy in Kurosawa's magnificent adaptation of King Lear.

6

Ikiru

A dying bureaucrat spends his final months searching for meaning and ultimately finds purpose in completing one small, lasting good deed for his community.

7

Kagemusha

A petty thief is chosen to impersonate a dying warlord in this visually stunning meditation on war, identity, and the illusion of power.

8

High and Low

A wealthy businessman faces a moral crisis when kidnappers accidentally abduct his chauffeur's son instead of his own in this gripping crime thriller.

9

The Hidden Fortress

Two greedy peasants unwittingly aid a general and a princess escaping enemy territory, the film that directly inspired George Lucas's Star Wars.

10

Dersu Uzala

A Russian explorer and a wise Siberian hunter form a deep friendship while surveying the remote wilderness in this Oscar-winning Soviet-Japanese co-production.

11

Stray Dog

A young detective searches desperately for his stolen pistol through the sweltering ruins of postwar Tokyo in this tense noir thriller.

12

Dreams

Kurosawa's most personal film, a series of eight visually stunning vignettes inspired by his own dreams, exploring nature, war, and the human condition.