20 Best Samurai Movies of All Time, Ranked

There are a shockingly high number of great samurai movies out there, with the best of the best naturally coming from Japan. What the Western does for cowboys, the samurai film does for the warriors of old who lived in Japan, principally from late in the 12th century until the 1870s. Samurai films don’t just focus on these swordsmen, much like how Westerns don’t solely focus on gunslingers, but they are usually important.

​ From Seven Samurai to Yojimbo to Harakiri, this is Collider’s ranking of the greatest samurai movies ever made.