Akira Kurosawa is one of the most legendary filmmakers of all time, and movies likeHighest 2 Lowestensure that his legacy continues to be ingrained in cinema well into the modern day. Much ofWestern cinema is inspired by Kurosawa, with his exemplary choices in writing, editing, and blocking still serving as the template for many aspects of modern blockbusters.
Many films in Hollywood and beyond have taken this a step further by being direct homages toKurosawa’s filmography, recreating his iconic work in concept, execution, or direct adaptation. Whether it’s a modern drama taking inspiration from his more thoughtful films to Westerns emulating his samurai movies, Kurosawa’s mark on cinema is undeniable.
10Highest 2 Lowest
The latest film to homage Kurosawa’s legendary work,Spike Lee’s recent jointHighest 2 Lowestis a spiritual remake of Kurosawa’sHigh and Low.In the original film, a top executive at a shoe company plans to buy out the remaining ownership keeping him from executive power, only for his plans to be interrupted by a kidnapping ransom.
Lee’s reboot replaces the shoe company with a stalling record label, with Denzel Washington fulfilling the role of the capricious capitalist whose plans are ruined by the kidnapping of his chauffeur’s son, mistakenly believed to be his own child by the kidnappers.This retelling invigorates Kurosawa’s tense thriller with Lee’s signature styleand boundless energy.
9The Magnificent Seven
Many Westerns have taken example from Kurosawa’s work in the samurai genre to near-plagiarism levels, with one of the most famous beingThe Magnificent Seven.A clear carbon copy of 1954’sSeven Samurai,both films see a septet of eccentric warriors from different backgrounds come together to defend a village from an army of bandits.
Replacing katanas with six-shooters and the feudal Japanese countryside with the Wild West,The Magnificent Sevenlives up to the hallowed title of its predecessor in its action and thoughtful character development. The films represent two amazing, distinct flavors of the same premise wrapped in different set dressing.
8A Bug’s Life
Amazingly,The Magnificent Sevenand its modern remake aren’t the only films to take a bite out of Kurosawa’s amazing formula. In fact, one of the earliestPixar movies,A Bug’s Life,shares some clear DNA with the iconic Western, owing much of its plot and ensemble cast fun toSeven Samurai.
Beyond taking the story to a microscopic level in the insect kingdom,A Bug’s Lifealso makes some changes to the concept, making Flick’s gathered warriors false fighters who are actually circus performers. Still, the idea of a colony raided by vicious grasshoppers seeking outside help from an outnumbered outfit of heroes bears an undeniable resemblance toSeven Samurai.
7Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope
TheStar Warsfranchise is a cinematic titan in its own right, completely changing the theatrical landscape with its daring visuals, engrossing world-building, and ambitious marketing. Yet even a cinematic force as colossal asStar Warsstarted out as nothing but a twinkle in the eye of Kurosawa’sThe Hidden Fortress.
Just likeThe Hidden Fortress, Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hopefollows two lowly, bumbling peasants as they become engrossed in a daring plot to help one side of a massive civil war thanks to the efforts of a princess. Both stories also feature dangerous treks through enemy territory, an evil empire bearing a familiar-looking sigil, and an experienced warrior general in disguise.
6A Fistful Of Dollars
One of Clint Eastwood’s most famous films and one of the titular films ofSergio Leone’sDollarstrilogy, it wouldn’t be a stretch to sayA Fistful of Dollarsis one of the most iconic Spaghetti Westerns of all time. The fact that it is heavily inspired byYojimbodescribes how Kurosawa’s work has spawned not only amazing movies from other directors, but entire genres.
Similarly toYojimbo,A Fistful of Dollarsfollows a lonesome drifting fighter who gets caught up in a territorial dispute between two gangs terrorizing a small town, manipulating both sides to his own advantage.Both films also see this warrior become an unlikely heroby ultimately saving an innocent family, despite his gruff and self-serving demeanor.
5Django
Of course,A Fistful of Dollarsis hardly the only Western to lift heavily fromYojimbo.EnterDjango,not to be confused with the Quentin Tarantino Western, which sees its titular gunslinger find himself in the middle of a brutal conflict between a gang of Confederate white supremacists and a small army of Mexican revolutionaries. Sound familiar?
At the time it was made,Djangoastonished audiences with its violence, decried as one of the most brutal wide releases of the ’60s upon its release. This, too, is a legacy inherited from Kurosawa, whose samurai films challenged the public perception of the warrior caste as noble swordfighters by depicting their brutality honestly.
4Last Man Standing
Finally, the Western wasn’t the only genre to find great inspiration inYojimbo. As recently as 1996, Bruce Willis starred in yet another credited remake of the film entitledLast Man Standing.Taking place in prohibition-era Texas,this interpretation replaces katana-wielding samurai with Tommy gun-toting gangsters, positing Willis as a Sanjuro stand-in.
UnlikeDjangoorA Fistful of Dollars, Last Man Standingisn’t as well-known as a Kurosawa adaptation. If anything,it’s a criminally underrated action flickthat sadly bombed at the box office. Still, it quietly remains one ofBruce Willis' more compelling performancesin the midst of all the bloodshed and bullets.
3The Usual Suspects
Rashomonis a prime example of the mark Kurosawa has left not only with his ingenious ideas for startling action, buthis inventive approach to storytelling conventions in general. The period piece centers on the murder of a samurai, which is recounted by several different characters who all put forth dramatically different versions of the same events.
This unique narrative method has been iterated on countless times, but one of the most iconic examples isThe Usual Suspects.With the framing device of a police interrogation trying to get to the root of a puzzling mass murder,Rashomon’s ideas about unreliable narrators shine clearly through all the way to the shocking end, where the criminal mastermind’s true identity is revealed.
2Hoodwinked!
For the many, many Hollywood films that have chosen to emulateRashomon’s daring approach to storytelling, it’s strange to admit thatone of the best of them is a cheaply-made, little-known animated comedy, 2005’sHoodwinked!.A modern retelling of the classic fable of Little Red Riding Hood,Hoodwinked!is criminally underrated, partially due to its clear love for Kurosawa.
LikeRashomon,Hoodwinked!retells the same events again and again from the perspectives of different characters, all under the guise of a rotating series of police interviews. The format allows some hilarious voice-acting and impressively well-aged comedy to shine through, proving thatKurosawa’s conventions work just as well for light-hearted fareas they do for gritty samurai slashers.
1Biutiful
It isn’t just the bold samurai movies and tales of war, betrayal, and intrigue that set Kurosawa apart as a filmmaker. His quiet, more contemplative side is also just as influential, and 1952’sIkiruproves this.The poignant drama centers on a Tokyo bureaucrat who uses his last remaining moments to search for meaningin the wake of a terminal stomach cancer diagnosis.
Likewise, Javier Bardem’sBiutifulsees a career criminal and spiritual medium undergo his own quest for the meaning of life after learning he has prostate cancer.Both films are sweet, contemplative, and explore how life becomes more meaningfulthe closer death approaches. It may be a far cry from the energetic thrills ofHighest 2 Lowest, butBiutifulis just as important as a Kurosawa celebration.
