Starring: Takashi Shimura, Toshiro Mifune

Director: Akira Kurosawa

MPAA: not rated

It is almost impossible to discuss the Samurai in movies without mentioning the work of the great Akira Kurosawa. Kurosawa made many samurai films, all of them magnificent works but the one gem which is said to outshine them all is Seven Samurai. It's a classic story of good vs. evil, honor, duty, compassion, and sacrifice. Set in feudal Japan, it tells of a small village terrorized by roaming, plundering thieves. In desperation, the farmers go into town to find masterless samurai to help them. Having no currency except rice, the village elder tells them simply: "find hungry samurai." It is here that Kurosawa's talent for character development shines as we meet all manner of samurai from unreliable drunkards to proud and stoic warriors enraged at the peasant's meager offer of employment. Soon a group of seven comes together in an unlikely alliance. The first is the humble yet dignified Kambei Shimada (played by Takashi Shimura) who sets out to gather the rest- including the coarse and impetuous Kikuchiyo, played by Toshiro Mifune. Mifune, who stars in many of Kurosawa's films as a proud, brave and heroic sort of samurai is almost unrecognizable as Kikuchiyo, who is a wild combination of Shakespeare's Falstaff and George Lucas' Han Solo. He mugs, cackles, and brandishes a massive sword with dubious skill. Together the seven fortify the village and prepare for a showdown from which some will not emerge alive. Kurosawa portrayed samurai as they really were- men struggling to be civilized in a hard and harsh time. The battles are raw, frantic and dangerous-looking. There is no flamboyant swishing of blades and spinning about Highlander-style. In Kurosawa's films, fighting is dirty business not worthy of idealizing. Kurosawa's masterful compositions, and brilliant use of contrasts and mood make me wonder why filmmakers ever bothered with color. There are images within this film which will become emotionally-charged still-life paintings in your mind which will remain for years after viewing it. Highly recommended for any fan of samurai history.

Director: Jim Jarmusch

MPAA: R (for violence and language)

Ghost Dog is one of those rare films I am drawn to again and again. It's a sublime mix of a modern black "gangsta" film (which I normally dislike), old-time "gangster" film, and meditative "Samurai" film. The result is a moody, sometimes melancholic, sometimes darkly comic experience. Forest Whitaker plays Ghost Dog, a solitary man who lives on the rooftop of an abandoned building. His humble shack contains everything he needs for his simple life as a contract killer for a local mobster. Years before, this mafioso had saved young Ghost Dog's life. Ghost Dog shows up years later and pledged his servitude to the mobster, becoming his samurai. With a copy of Hagakure, The ancient Book of the Samurai as his guide, Ghost Dog finds his place amid the careless brutality, mindless prejudice, and overall chaos of modern life. True to the samurai way, he is loyal to his employer without judging or condoning what is taking place around him. It's an interesting, poetic story of consequences and karma. The symbolisms and nuances of this film are too numerous to fully discuss here but interwoven within the story is Ghost Dog's friendship with a little girl who, like him, finds consolation and happiness in books. His only other friend is a French-speaking ice cream vendor. They carry on entire conversations, neither knowing exactly what the other is saying, but communicating beautifully. The fairly good hip-hop soundtrack and Forest Whitaker's readings from Hagakure which corresponds to the events on the screen, set the mood beautifully. Overall this is an excellent movie, sometimes endearing, sometimes haunting and tastefully done in a slightly urban fairy-tale flavor. The experience is a rich one and watching the film several times may be required to get it all. I, personally, have no problem with that whatsoever.