Seven Samurai: a perennial favourite, but this is KUROSAWA Akira’s epic masterpiece’s first view on a big screen (in its 4K restoration, which is glorious). A theatrical experience confirms what has been said many times before: the film may be 207 minutes long, but not a single frame feels superfluous or unneeded. Simply put, the film is always great and engaging. The cast is excellent throughout, but there is a reason MIFUNE Toshiroo is always remembered by this: his character is off-the-walls, filled to the brim with animalistic energy.

What becomes clearer than ever is how great the musical score, by composer HAYASAKA Fumio, is: it has a few recurring themes, but it also has lots of variation, and it’s always a pleasure to listen to. The cinematography, by director of photography NAKAI Asakazu, is exceptional: the framing in particular is very expressive (and the precise actor’s blocking gives that space to happen). The battle scenes that form most of the second half are brutal, raw, realistic in their messiness, and excitingly edited by Kurosawa himself.

Simply put: one of the greatest works of cinema of all time.

Read what I wrote before: Seven Samurai