Charts: Lists

This page shows you the list charts. By default, the movies are ordered by how many times they have been marked as a favorite. However, you can also sort by other information, such as the total number of times it has been marked as a dislike.

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  1. The Samurai Film Encyclopedia's icon

    The Samurai Film Encyclopedia

    Favs/dislikes: 24:0. Adopted from The Samurai Film: Expanded and Revised By Alain Silver 001-011: Hideo Gosha (1929-1992) 012-015: Masaki Kobayashi (1916-1996) 016-024: Akira Kurosawa (1910-1998) 025-033: Kihachi Okamoto (1923-2005) 034-039: Masahiro Shinoda (1931- ) 040-056: Kyoshiro Nemuri Series (Begun 1956) 057-083: Zato Ichi Series (Shintaro Katsu 1962-1989) 084-087: The Crimson Bat Series (1969-1970) 088-095: Band Of Assassins Series (1962-1966) 096-159: (Pre-1950s) 160-208: (1950-1957) 209-240: (1958) 241-287: (1959) 288-320: (1960) 321-382: (1961-1962) 383-405: (1963-1964) 406-418: (1965-1966) 419-422: (1967) 423-435: (1968) 436-451: (1969) 452-458: (1970) 459-483: (1971-1979) 484-500: (1980s) 501-516: (1990s) 517-525: (2000-present)
  2. Zatoichi - Complete Filmography's icon

    Zatoichi - Complete Filmography

    Favs/dislikes: 18:0. All movies/series with Zatôichi, the famous blind samurai in the lead. It includes the original 26 movies, the following tv-series, the Kitano remake/tribute and the latest reboot attempt. I decided to leave out the American remake Blind Fury (1989).
  3. Stray Dogs & Lone Wolves: The Samurai Film Handbook's icon

    Stray Dogs & Lone Wolves: The Samurai Film Handbook

    Favs/dislikes: 12:0. This list is a viewer's guide to Patrick Galloway's book of the same name: "Stray Dogs & Lone Wolves is a critical guide to over 50 top samurai films, including such masterworks as the Oscar-winning Gate of Hell, Yojimbo (remade five times, including A Fistful of Dollars), the influential Lady Snowblood, and newly released hits like Takeshi Kitano's Zatoichi."
  4. Essential Martial Arts Films's icon

    Essential Martial Arts Films

    Favs/dislikes: 10:0.
  5. The Samurai Film's icon

    The Samurai Film

    Favs/dislikes: 7:0. Adopted from the book The Samurai Film by Alain Silver [2006 Expanded & Revised edition]
  6. Paste's 50 Best Samurai Films of All Time's icon

    Paste's 50 Best Samurai Films of All Time

    Favs/dislikes: 6:0. What is it about the samurai that captivates Westerners? The armor and swords, the reverent attitude and the reputation for supreme competence in warfare are all pretty impressive, but they don’t get to the heart of it. I believe it might be that at the core of every samurai is the code of bushido, the feudal Japanese equivalent of chivalry, with its one edict above all else: If the time should call for it, protect your lord with your life. That self-abnegation in service of something greater than oneself is the question at the heart of the works of generation after generation of directors as they revisit the samurai film. And it’s why we’re so excited to present Paste’s list of the 50 Best Samurai Films of All Time. This is a broad genre, just from a the standpoint of how much history falls within it. The American Western falls more or less within the bounds of the 19th Century, yet samurai films offer centuries of warfare, palace intrigue and a drawn-out end of an era for the history and film buff to chew on. Samurai flicks really have something for everyone. Fans of period pieces will love the intricate set design, costuming and portrayals of towering historical figures in the midst of epic conflict. If operatic drama is more your speed, you can sit back and watch committed actors dine upon lavish scenery. Action junkies get to watch riveting combat with cool-looking swords. And fans of film history in general will delight in tracing the lineage of some of the West’s cinematic touchstones to their forebears in the East, as well as some stellar Eastern adaptations of Western canon. It is with solemn bushido reverence that I invite you to join us as we dive into 50 films that exemplify this mightiest of genres. We’ve formed this list with a careful eye toward the classic jidaigeki (Age of Civil War period piece) and chambara (swordfighting) films that typify the genre in Japan, but also to some of the weird and subversive outliers that challenge audience expectations or the mythic idea of the samurai code. And because this genre is so deeply steeped in the history of its homeland, we’ve also arranged this list in a loose sort of historical chronological order and added some context that might help clarify the settings of some of the movies. In the interest of keeping things tight, we’ve excluded anime entries, but for a definitive list that includes some animated samurai action, check out Paste’s 100 Best Anime Films. Published August 2017
  7. Samurai Films's icon

    Samurai Films

    Favs/dislikes: 6:0. A list featuring samurai themed films.
  8. BFI: 10 Great Samurai Films's icon

    BFI: 10 Great Samurai Films

    Favs/dislikes: 5:0. With Akira Kurosawa’s Seven Samurai fighting its way onto Blu-ray, we delve into Japan’s heroic past with 10 classic tales of swords and chivalry.
  9. Samurai Films's icon

    Samurai Films

    Favs/dislikes: 5:0. Films from the book "Samurai Films" by Roland Thorne (2008). ISBN: 9781842432556. This list contains the movies analyzed in Roland Thorne's book.
  10. Warring Clans, Flashing Blades: A Samurai Film Companion's icon

    Warring Clans, Flashing Blades: A Samurai Film Companion

    Favs/dislikes: 5:0. #1-40 From Warring Clans, Flashing Blades: A Samurai Film Companion by Patrick Galloway
  11. Paste Magazine's 50 Best Samurai Films of All Time's icon

    Paste Magazine's 50 Best Samurai Films of All Time

    Favs/dislikes: 0:0. What is it about the samurai that captivates Westerners? The armor and swords, the reverent attitude and the reputation for supreme competence in warfare are all pretty impressive, but they don’t get to the heart of it. I believe it might be that at the core of every samurai is the code of bushido, the feudal Japanese equivalent of chivalry, with its one edict above all else: If the time should call for it, protect your lord with your life. That self-abnegation in service of something greater than oneself is the question at the heart of the works of generation after generation of directors as they revisit the samurai film. And it’s why we’re so excited to present Paste’s list of the 50 Best Samurai Films of All Time. This is a broad genre, just from a the standpoint of how much history falls within it. The American Western falls more or less within the bounds of the 19th Century, yet samurai films offer centuries of warfare, palace intrigue and a drawn-out end of an era for the history and film buff to chew on. Samurai flicks really have something for everyone. Fans of period pieces will love the intricate set design, costuming and portrayals of towering historical figures in the midst of epic conflict. If operatic drama is more your speed, you can sit back and watch committed actors dine upon lavish scenery. Action junkies get to watch riveting combat with cool-looking swords. And fans of film history in general will delight in tracing the lineage of some of the West’s cinematic touchstones to their forebears in the East, as well as some stellar Eastern adaptations of Western canon. It is with solemn bushido reverence that I invite you to join us as we dive into 50 films that exemplify this mightiest of genres. We’ve formed this list with a careful eye toward the classic jidaigeki (Age of Civil War period piece) and chambara (swordfighting) films that typify the genre in Japan, but also to some of the weird and subversive outliers that challenge audience expectations or the mythic idea of the samurai code. And because this genre is so deeply steeped in the history of its homeland, we’ve also arranged this list in a loose sort of historical chronological order and added some context that might help clarify the settings of some of the movies.
  12. Rurouni Kenshin's icon

    Rurouni Kenshin

    Favs/dislikes: 0:0.
  13. Sir Plebeians Top Samurai Films's icon

    Sir Plebeians Top Samurai Films

    Favs/dislikes: 0:1. My personal favorite Samurai films. Unranked.
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