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Seven Samurai

七人の侍

Year
1954
Length
207 minCriterion new 4K digital restoration Version sources ↓

Seven Samurai is a 207-minute epic about a village recruiting seven fighters. Use its three movements—recruitment, preparation, and defence—as your map.

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Country
Japan
Language
Japanese
TenseGentle Best saved for later · For patient viewers Action

Edited by Monocurator

Seven Samurai: Seven paper banners stand above seven distant figures and a rain-soaked village.

Image: Monocurator · source · Original Monocurator artwork

Seven Samurai on 4K or Blu-ray: which edition fits?

Check which disc contains the film. Criterion’s 4K set includes Seven Samurai on both UHD and Blu-ray. BFI’s standard 4K set pairs a UHD of the film with a Blu-ray of extras. If your player only plays regular Blu-rays, that distinction decides what you can watch.

The film in both formats

Criterion 4K + Blu-ray

  • 1 UHD: film
  • 2 Blu-rays: film + extras
Your player
Watch the UHD with a 4K UHD player, or use the included film Blu-ray with a Region A-compatible Blu-ray player.
Disc regions
The UHD is region-free. The North American Blu-rays are Region A.
Subtitles
Optional English subtitles, under Criterion’s policy for non-English-language films.

Criterion lists 1.37:1 for the UHD and 1.33:1 for the Blu-ray. Both formats include the film, but their listed framing differs.

Criterion’s 4K + Blu-ray edition

The film on UHD; extras on Blu-ray

BFI standard 4K

  • 1 UHD: film
  • 1 Blu-ray: extras
Your player
Choose this for a 4K UHD player. Its extras Blu-ray is not a Blu-ray copy of the main film.
Disc regions
BFI’s current product text does not specify the discs’ regions. Check BFIU0012 with the seller if importing, including the extras disc.
Subtitles
English subtitles are listed.

Look for “standard edition” and product code BFIU0012. An older limited-edition review may describe a different package.

BFI’s standard 4K edition

For a regular Blu-ray player

BFI Blu-ray

  • 2-disc Blu-ray edition
  • Film on Blu-ray
Your player
A Region B-compatible Blu-ray player is enough. You do not need to buy a UHD player to watch this edition.
Disc regions
Region B, as specified on BFI’s product page.
Subtitles
English subtitles are listed.

Look for product code BFIB1546. This is the separate two-disc Blu-ray edition, rather than the extras disc supplied with BFI’s UHD.

BFI’s two-disc Blu-ray edition

Already own a Blu-ray?

Start with your player. Without UHD playback, a new 4K disc stays in its case. If you already own Criterion’s Blu-ray and can play UHD, the main-film addition in its combo is the UHD presentation; the presence of two Blu-rays alone does not make them new material. Compare the listed supplements with your existing edition before buying for extras.

What about HDR?

The current Criterion and BFI standard-edition product texts linked above do not settle the HDR specification. If Dolby Vision or HDR10 is your deciding factor, confirm the exact package before ordering. “4K” by itself does not answer that question.

Product details checked . Playback and Criterion regions: Criterion’s technical support. Subtitle policy: Criterion’s FAQ.

Seven Samurai: names, actors and roles

Takashi Shimura plays Kambei, the leader. Toshiro Mifune plays Kikuchiyo, the volatile outsider. The other five bring different kinds of experience to the village’s defence. This guide identifies the seven in Kurosawa’s 1954 film without revealing who survives.

Who is who during the recruitment
Name and actorRole in the groupHow to recognise him
KambeiTakashi Shimura The leader An experienced fighter who gathers the group. The man who shaves his head to rescue a kidnapped child.
GorobeiYoshio Inaba The seasoned recruit A capable, thoughtful warrior drawn into the mission by Kambei’s character. His calm manner contrasts with Kikuchiyo’s exuberance.
ShichirojiDaisuke Kato The old comrade Kambei’s companion from earlier battles. Their easy familiarity comes from having fought together before this mission.
HeihachiMinoru Chiaki The morale keeper The cheerful, modest fighter. His humour and good nature give the group something that swordsmanship alone cannot supply.
KyuzoSeiji Miyaguchi The sword specialist The reserved fighter devoted to perfecting his skill. His concentration makes a sharp contrast with the more talkative men.
KatsushiroIsao Kimura The young learner The inexperienced samurai who looks up to Kambei and wants to learn from him. Follow his attention to the veterans.
KikuchiyoToshiro Mifune The unruly outsider The boisterous would-be samurai, full of physical energy. His arrival continually unsettles the others’ more controlled behaviour.

Official Japanese rerelease character guide · Criterion’s cast record

Two village names to keep separate

Rikichi (Yoshio Tsuchiya) is a villager seeking the warriors’ help. Shino (Keiko Tsushima) is the farmer Manzo’s daughter. They belong to the community the seven are hired to defend. BFI’s programme cast list also identifies the villagers.

Why is Kikuchiyo different? Character-background spoilers

Kikuchiyo is a farmer’s son who wants to become a samurai. In his angry speech to the other six, he describes the violence that samurai have inflicted on farming communities. Their fear and hostility are experiences he understands from within.

Philip Kemp’s Criterion essay reads him as someone able to see both sides of that hostility. His outburst changes how we understand his clowning: a man trying to join the warriors also knows the people who fear them.

Watch · Rent · Read Check availability on JustWatch Search rentals on Apple TV Search books on Bookshop.org U.S. search links, not availability claims · Disclosure

What to expect

Seven Samurai gives an epic scale to preparation, teamwork, and the practical problem of defending a community. Its long running time makes room for individual temperaments, village tensions, humour, weather, and waiting before action arrives. When movement erupts, the geography stays clear and every choice matters. The film feels large because Akira Kurosawa builds the group one human detail at a time.

How to ease in

Give the film an evening and use the intermission if your edition includes one. The first movement is recruitment, the second preparation, and the last defence; knowing that shape makes the length less imposing. You do not need to memorise seven names immediately. Notice each samurai's practical role, silhouette, or manner, and the group will become distinct through action.

Heads-up

A quick, non-exhaustive note Contains sustained battle violence, death, class hostility, wartime trauma, sexual coercion, and threats against villagers.
Momo's Note May contain spoilers Who is Momo? →
Open the note ↓ Close the note ↑

I remember the waiting as much as the battle: measuring paths, counting horses, sharing food, learning who will hold which ground. The film earns its scale through preparation. Rain and mud eventually turn strategy into confusion, but because we have lived with the plan, every broken line carries weight. Community here is difficult work, not a slogan.

— Momo

Momo thinking about this film

Credits & versions

Credits
Cast
Toshiro Mifune · Takashi Shimura · Keiko Tsushima
Screenplay
Akira Kurosawa · Hideo Oguni · Shinobu Hashimoto
Production
Sojiro Motoki
Cinematography
Asakazu Nakai

Version map

Criterion new 4K digital restoration 207 min · restoration · US Criterion lists its 4K digital restoration at 207 minutes, with Japanese audio and the original monaural soundtrack. Other presentations may differ in length. Source: Criterion Collection — Seven Samurai (1954) Runtime reference · Checked 2026-08-13

Sources for the facts

Ways to watch and read

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Watch Check availability on JustWatch
Rent Search rentals on Apple TV
Read Search books on Bookshop.org

U.S. search destinations · Links checked 2026-07-27 · Stock, editions, prices, and availability can change · Disclosure

Where to go next

Want a gentler, shorter, or stranger next film? Ask Momo for something like this →
Momo is on shift. Visit Momo Cinema →

More from 1954 → More by Akira Kurosawa →
This film is stop 03 on Where to Start with Japanese Classic Films → Trail Nº 03
Further reading15 Best Black and White Movies: Choose Your Next Film → Journal Further reading10 Classic Action and Adventure Movies: Pick Your Next Thrill → Journal Further reading10 Classic Historical and Costume Dramas to Watch → Journal
More about this film (3)

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