What can be said about Kurosawa's magnum opus that has not already been said?

It's difficult to put into words how important Seven Samurai is to filmmakers, to cinephiles, and to filmmaking in general. This film wasn't just influential, it changed everything on a dramatic scale. Never before had the world seen something quite like this.

Kurosawa's direction is perfect here; more importantly, though his dedication to these characters, their personalities, and their strife is really what makes the film work. While clocking in at over three-and-a-half hours, the film flies by as you are immediately invested in the story and the characters who inhabit it.

Seven Samurai is to the action film what 2001: A Space Odyssey was to science fiction -- hugely important, revelatory, and supremely influential.