![]() ![]() Ghost of Tsushima’s directors cited Sanjuro as one of their biggest influences, and it’s not hard to see why. What follows is a complex and fascinating tale that sees the young samurai and the rōnin battle their enemies while struggling to come to terms with their roles within their world and society at large. Sanjuro follows the adventures of the rōnin from Yojimbo as he tries to help a group of young samurai who suspect that their lord chamberlain is corrupt. Originally conceived as an adaptation of the Shūgorō Yamamoto novel, Hibi Heian, Sanjuro was re-written to incorporate Yojimbo’s protagonist following the success of that film. Some of these missions will undoubtedly pit you as a samurai for hire in situations not unlike those found in Yojimbo. Ghost of Tsushima’s open-world setting will be filled with side missions to complete. This tightly told adventure focuses on the perception of power that surrounds the wandering warrior as well as the greed that plagues men regardless of their station. While the Clint Eastwood-led Yojimbo adaptation successfully translates many of this story’s elements to the Wild West, there are certain qualities in Yojimbo which are unique to samurai mythology and culture. When the spirits predictions come true, the wife of one of the samurai encourages him to murder their lord and take his place as ruler of their land. In Throne of Blood, two samurai return from battle only to be met by a spirit who predicts their future. ![]() When you picture samurai, there’s a good chance you’re picturing this film. Even The Mandalorianpaid homage to Seven Samurai in its first season.Ĭonsidering that Seven Samurai has impacted the works of many great directors who have emerged since its release, it’s hardly a surprise to hear that Ghost of Tsushima‘s directors consider Seven Samurai to be one of the most important influences on their game. Other beloved movies, most notably The Magnificent Seven, are even just straight-up remakes of Seven Samurai. Not only is it regularly referred to as a major cinematic achievement, but countless movies have borrowed filmmaking and storytelling elements from this masterpiece. The samurai not only contend with the bandits but the discourse within their own ranks as well as the villagers who begin to wonder whether they’ve made a mistake by hiring mercenaries.Įven if you’ve never seen Seven Samurai, we’re willing to bet that you’re familiar with it. This 1954 film tells the story of a group of villagers who recruit seven rōnin to protect their homes from bandits. Rashomon not only pioneered a new type of narrative device called the Rashomon effect - conflicting accounts of an event by several eyewitnesses - but it taught viewers to consider the potential influence of the unreliable narrator on their perception of a story. Then again, Rashomon offered such a fresh take on storytelling and perspective that nearly every piece of fiction which followed its release has been influenced by it in some way. That means that it’s also likely the Kurosawa samurai film that has the least direct influence on Ghost of Tsushima. It lacks much of the action and setpieces that typically define the director’s most exciting outings. While Rashomon features samurai and a bit of swordplay, it’s probably not exactly what you think of when you think of a Kurosawa samurai film. What follows is the search for truth in a world where even the liars may not be aware of their bias. The rape of a woman and the murder of her husband triggers an investigation based on the recollections of four people who possess conflicting memories of the events which led to the horrific crimes. So whether you want to hype yourself up for Ghost of Tsushima or you just want to experience some of the finest pieces of filmmaking ever made, these are the Kurosawa samurai movies you need to watch. Kurosawa’s samurai films aren’t just some of the best samurai adventures told in any medium, they’re on the shortlist of the best movies ever made. What a shame it would have been to live in that world, though. He may not have been the first director to tell a samurai story via film and his legacy as one of the greatest directors of all-time may have been secured even if he hadn’t directed a frame of a samurai adventure. ![]() ![]() The PS4 exclusive even features a “Kurosawa Mode” that allows you to apply a stylish black-and-white filter to the experience, recreating the somber mood and film grain of the director’s work.Īnyone who tells a modern samurai story owes some kind of debt to Kurosawa. Ghost of Tsushima‘s developers at Sucker Punch have been very explicit about the ways the samurai films of legendary Japanese director Akira Kurosawa have influenced their game. ![]()
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