Shogun was one of the thrilling reveals of 2024, a declare bolstered by the truth that it has already received the Golden Globe and the Primetime Emmy Award for Finest Drama Sequence.
A second season is presently in growth, however whereas we anxiously await an announcement of a launch date for season 2, all of us want one thing else to observe. So, collected here’s a small pattern of among the greatest samurai movies ever made, particularly curated for followers of Shogun who’re in search of an analogous diploma of drama, political intrigue, and motion.
The Twilight Samurai (2002)
Starring Hiroyuki Sanada (Shogun‘s Lord Toranaga), The Twilight Samurai follows Seibei Igushi, a low-ranking samurai who struggles with day-to-day life because the period of his warrior class is ending. There’s some motion to be seen right here, but it surely’s the fantastically orchestrated drama that makes The Twilight Samurai resonate so emotionally with audiences.
The Final Samurai (2003)
This is likely to be a controversial choose for some, and it’s the solely American-made movie on this checklist, however with its Westerner lead in Tom Cruise, The Final Samurai is likely to be the right film for followers of Shogun who’re simply starting their journey into samurai movies. Positive, it’s a really Westernized and romanticized depiction of Japan in the course of the 1870s, however the story is gripping, the motion is thrilling, and, in line with co-star Ken Watanabe, it helped change the way in which the Western movie business views films like this. “After [The Last Samurai] got here out,” says Watanabe in an interview with The Guardian, “Hollywood tried to be extra genuine when it got here to Asian tales.”
Ran (1985)
If we’re making an inventory of the perfect samurai films, then you recognize Akira Kurosawa goes to be on that checklist. Truthfully, this checklist may very well be made up of solely Kurosawa movies. Nonetheless, to curate his filmography for followers of Shogun, the 1985 samurai epic Ran is the right selection. Ran options among the greatest scenes of warfare ever placed on movie, and the story of energy, loyalty, and betrayal make it completely timeless. If you happen to’re going to select only one film on this checklist to observe, make it Ran.
Yojimbo (1961)
We couldn’t assist however put one other Kurosawa movie within the checklist. Nonetheless, Yojimbo is a really totally different sort of samurai movie. One in all cinema’s biggest actors, Toshiro Mifune, stars as a anonymous ronin (masterless samurai) who wanders right into a city within the midst of a violent wrestle between two rival gangs. Taking the made-up title of Kuwabatake Sanjuro, the expert swordsman units the 2 sides towards one another whereas trying to revenue from the chaos. If this sounds acquainted, it’s as a result of Sergio Leone would later use Yojimbo, with out permission, as the idea for A Fistful of {Dollars} (1964).
Taboo (1999)
Taboo delves right into a topic of samurai tales that isn’t typically introduced up: homosexuality. Sozeburo Kano (Ryuhei Matsuda) joins a gaggle of swordsmen referred to as the Shinsengumi, however his demeanor stirs the feelings of the lads surrounding him, placing Kano on the middle of rising tensions. Taboo has a poetic high quality to it that makes it not like most of the extra extensively seen samurai movies.
Hara-Kiri: Loss of life of a Samurai (2011)
From genre-film grasp Takashi Miike, Hara-Kiri: Loss of life of a Samurai tells a character-driven story of desperation, loss of life, and revenge. The setup entails a samurai, Hanshiro Tsugumo (Ichikawa Ebizo XI), who arrives at a feudal lord’s fortress and requests to finish his life within the honorable act of seppuku. The lord suspects the request is a bluff meant to extract cash, however the motive for Hanshiro’s presence is much extra advanced.