A motley assortment of masterless Samurai bands together to defend a poor village from bandits. There are so many facets to this film’s greatness, here are shichi (seven):

1. The way each Samurai’s introduced, making us root for every one.
2. Toshiro Mifune’s petulant, snorting charisma.
3. The way the film moves, like a fairground ride.
4. Collectivism!
5. The surprise of a coy, sun-dappled, moving romance.
6. A climactic, thrilling rain-slicked battle for the ages.
7. The high feeling, that you have seen an utter, stone-cold masterpiece ...in a cinema!

Screening as part of Japan 2021: Over 100 years of Japanese Cinema is a UK-wide film season supported by National Lottery and BFI Film Audience Network.