10 Best Samurai Movies Since 2010, Ranked (2024)

Similar to its American cousin the Western, samurai movies reached the apex of their popularity during the middle of the twentieth century, and just like the Western, samurai films began to decrease in public interest during the late 1970s. Factors such as the overexposure of the samurai genre on television, the aging of samurai cinema's greatest stars, and the overall decline of the Japanese film industry in the 1970s and 1980s contributed to the diminishing appeal of samurai movies.

While there have certainly been some exceptional samurai films produced in the twenty-first century, the output of the genre as a whole pales in comparison to samurai cinema's most prolific period of the 1950s and 1960s. Indicative of this reality is the fact that of Paste magazine's 50 greatest samurai films of all time, only seven premiered in the twenty-first century. However, the recent success of the FX series Shōgun might jump-start a renewed interest in the once-prominent genre. Audiences seeking some excellent modern samurai cinema should look at works such as 13 Assassins, Blade of the Immortal, and the Rurouni Kenshin franchise, which represent some of the best samurai movies made since 2010.

10 The Rurouni Kenshin Series Is One of the Most Successful Japanese Film Franchises of the Past 15 Years (2012-2021)

• IMDb Rating: Rurouni Kenshin Part I: Origins - 7.4
• Rurouni Kenshin Part II: Kyoto Inferno - 7.5
• Rurouni Kenshin Part III: The Legend Ends - 7.5
• Rurouni Kenshin: The Final - 7.2
• Rurouni Kenshin: The Beginning - 7.4

Consisting of five films, Rurouni Kenshin Part I: Origins, Rurouni Kenshin Part II: Kyoto Inferno, Rurouni Kenshin Part III: The Legend Ends, Rurouni Kenshin: The Final, and Rurouni Kenshin: The Beginning, the Rurouni Kenshin series is one of the most successful Japanese film franchises of the past 15 years. Based on Nobuhiro Watsuki's manga series Rurouni Kenshin: Meiji Swordsman Romantic Story, the Rurouni Kenshin film series follows the exploits of Kenshin Himura, a former assassin who begins protecting the people of Japan, taking a vow to never kill again to atone for his past sins.

The Rurouni Kenshin film franchise maintained its quality throughout all five films, with each movie earning positive reviews and performing well at the box office. Collectively, the Rurouni Kenshin franchise grossed nearly $200 million at the worldwide box office. Critics praised the films for their faithfulness to Watsuki's source material, action choreography, and thematic explorations of the transition between Japan's Edo period and the Meiji era. In addition to the five live-action feature films, the Rurouni Kenshin franchise includes four anime movies and two anime television shows.

Rurouni Kenshin: Origins

TV-MA

Adventure

Drama

A former assassin who has resolved to never kill again has his vow sorely tested.

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Director

Keishi Ōtomo

Release Date

August 25, 2012

Cast

Emi Takei , Yû Aoi , Munetaka Aoki , Gô Ayano , Yôsuke Eguchi

Runtime

2 Hours 14 Minutes

Main Genre

Action

Producer

Tatsuro Hatanaka, Takeo Hisamatsu, Masahiko Ibaraki, Hiroaki Kitano, Osamu Kubota, Shinzô Matsuhashi, Osamu Naitô, Makoto Takahashi

Production Company

C&I Entertainment, IMJ Entertainment, RoC Works Co., Studio Swan, Warner Bros.

9 Takashi Koizumi Channels Akira Kurosawa with A Samurai Chronicle (2014)

• IMDb Rating: 6.6

Based on Rin Hamuro's Naoki Sanjugo Prize-winning novel Higurashi no Ki, Takashi Koizumi's A Samurai Chronicle stars Kōji Yakusho as a retired samurai who must redeem himself for a crime that he committed earlier in his life. The Naoki Sanjugo Prize, along with the Akutagawa Prize, rank among the most prestigious literary awards given in Japan to emerging authors.

Wishing to channel the films of Akira Kurosawa, Koizumi hired longtime Kurosawa collaborator Teruyo Nogami to serve as a special advisor on A Samurai Chronicle. Throughout her career, Nogami worked as a script supervisor, production manager, and assistant director on many of Kurosawa's most iconic movies. The decision paid off, as A Samurai Chronicle went on to become one of the most acclaimed Japanese films of 2014. At the 38th Japan Academy Film Prize Awards, A Samurai Chronicle received ten nominations. Jun'ichi Okada won Best Supporting Actor for his memorable performance. A Samurai Chronicle also earned two Asian Film Critics Association Award nominations for Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor.

8 The Last Ronin Is the Definition of an Underseen Gem (2010)

• IMDb Rating: 7.2

Released in 2010, Shigemichi Sugita's The Last Ronin is the definition of an underseen gem. The Last Ronin takes place 16 years after the Akō incident in which 47 rōnin avenged the death of their master and then committed seppuku. Chūshingura is the title given to fictionalized accounts of the tale of the 47 rōnin, which has been adapted into countless movies, television shows, novels, comics, plays, operas, and ballets. The film follows Kichiemon Terasaka, a survivor of the incident who travels throughout Japan, informing the families of the fallen samurai of the truth about the rōnin uprising.

Acclaimed upon its premiere, The Last Ronin earned 12 Japan Academy Film Prize nominations, winning one for Best Art Direction. For her leading performance, Nanami Sakuraba won Best New Actress at the Kinema Junpo Awards. Despite positive reviews and having one of Japan's greatest stars, Kōji Yakusho, as the film's protagonist, The Last Ronin remains a virtually unknown work. On Letterboxd, The Last Ronin has only 137 ratings, not even enough to generate a user score.

7 Unforgiven Is a Samurai Remake of Clint Eastwood's Seminal Academy Award Winning Western (2013)

• IMDb Rating: 7.0

Throughout film history, both samurai films and Westerns have continually influenced and shaped each other's existence. Akira Kurosawa borrowed extensively from John Ford's Western aesthetic within his own samurai movies. Then Sergio Leone took inspiration from Kurosawa's samurai films when making his spaghetti Westerns. In 2013, the parallel legacies of the Western and samurai movie crossed paths yet again when Lee Sang-il directed Unforgiven, a remake of Clint Eastwood's seminal Academy Award-winning Western of the same name. Lee's Unforgiven stars Ken Watanabe as an old samurai who teams up with a former comrade and a braggadocious young hunter to track down bandits who disfigured a prostitute.

Upon its debut, Unforgiven received adulation for its cinematography, art direction, and Watanabe's leading performance. At the 37th Japan Academy Film Prize Awards, Unforgiven earned four nominations, winning Best Cinematography and Best Lighting. Unforgiven also racked up Best Film nominations at the Blue Ribbon Awards and the Yokohama Film Festival. The Guardian's Mike McCahill gave Unforgiven a positive review, writing "It's an enduring yarn, well told: a rare remake that functions independently, even as it reminds you - vividly, in places - of the original's elegiac pleasures."

Unforgiven

R

Drama

Action

Crime

In a rugged Japanese landscape during the late 1800s, a retired samurai with a violent past is drawn back into the world he left behind. Faced with the plight of two young girls and their plea for vengeance against brutal oppressors, the samurai grapples with the consequences of returning to the sword, leading him on a path that will test his resolve and sense of honor.

Director

Sang-il Lee

Release Date

September 13, 2013

Cast

Ken Watanabe , Shioli Kutsuna , Jun Kunimura , Yuya Yagira , Koichi Sato , Akira Emoto , Seiji Hino , Eiko Koike

Writers

David Webb Peoples , Sang-il Lee

Runtime

135 Minutes

Main Genre

Drama

Budget

$14.4 million

Studio(s)

Warner Bros. Pictures

Distributor(s)

Warner Bros. Pictures

6 Sword of Desperation Is a Cinematic Adaptation of a Shūhei Fujisawa Novel (2010)

• IMDb Rating: 7.2

Famed Japanese author Shūhei Fujisawa is best known for his work in the samurai genre. Fujisawa's writings provided the basis for Yōji Yamada's Samurai Trilogy, which consists of The Twilight Samurai, The Hidden Blade, and Love and Honor. Another Fujisawa novel served as the source material for Hideyuki Hirayama's Sword of Desperation, a movie about a samurai who receives a surprisingly lenient sentence after killing the corrupt mistress of a powerful daimyō. While not as well-known in the West, Hirayama is an award-winning Japanese filmmaker acclaimed for movies such as Begging for Love, The Laughing Frog, and Family of Strangers.

Sword of Desperation features a complex narrative structure that contains flashbacks within flashbacks. The slow-burn pacing builds to an explosive climax that leaves audiences with yet another brilliant samurai movie that examines themes of honor and loyalty. Sword of Desperation earned six Japan Academy Film Prize nominations, although the movie failed to win any of its categories. However, for his performance as Kanemi Sanzaemon, Etsushi Toyokawa won the Kinema Junpo Award for Best Actor.

5 Kubo and the Two Strings Is One of the Best Animated Films of the 2010s (2016)

• IMDb Rating: 7.7

A masterful work of stop-motion animation, Kubo and the Two Strings is one of the best American animated films of the 2010s. Kubo and the Two Strings centers on the titular Kubo, a young boy who must locate a magical suit of armor worn by his late father to defeat a vengeful spirit from the past. The film features animation inspired by ink-wash painting, origami, and ukiyo-e.

Despite enormous admiration from critics, Kubo and the Two Strings was among the biggest animated box office flops of the decade, grossing only $77.5 million against a budget of $60 million. Kubo and the Two Strings' poor box office performance reflected the current trend of stop-motion and traditional animation struggling to compete financially with CG animated movies. The film's unfortunate box office run did not prevent Kubo and the Two Strings from dominating the awards season. Kubo and the Two Strings amassed 100 nominations, winning 33. Among its most prominent wins were three Annie Awards and the BAFTA Film Award for Best Animated Feature Film.

Kubo and the Two Strings

This animated movie follows a young, one-eyed storyteller named Kubo on an epic quest to find his late father's magical armor. Accompanied by Monkey and Beetle, Kubo battles the sinister Moon King and his twin daughters, uncovering his family's secret legacy and discovering his own powerful destiny.

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4 Killing Is a Samurai Movie by Japanese Cult Auteur Shinya Tsukamoto (2018)

• IMDb Rating: 6.5

A cult auteur who has found dedicated audiences both domestically and overseas, Shin'ya Tsukamoto first rose to prominence with his cyberpunk body horror film Tetsuo: The Iron Man. Tsukamoto's unique aesthetic has had a profound impact on Hollywood filmmakers such as Quentin Tarantino, David Fincher, and Darren Aronofsky. In 2018, Tsukamoto produced, wrote, shot, edited, directed, and co-starred in the samurai film Killing, which focuses on a young rōnin named Mokunoshin Tsuzuki. Complications arise when a group of outlaws comes to town as the nation awaits an impending civil war.

Premiering at the Venice Film Festival, Killing astounded critics with how Tsukamoto deconstructs notions of heroism and violence within samurai mythology. At the Asian Film Awards, Killing received three nominations, winning for Best Editor. Daniel Kasman, writing for MUBI, articulated the effectiveness of Killing by stating, "Those coming for a conventional genre film might be disappointed, but those who revel in a fierce gesture of pure cinema will leave sated."

3 Blade of the Immortal Was Takashi Miike's 100th Film (2017)

• IMDb Rating: 6.7

One of contemporary Japanese cinema's most recognizable, prolific, and controversial auteurs, Takashi Miike has accumulated 115 directorial credits since his debut in 1991. Miike has worked in nearly every film genre, but first gained an international cult following due to his highly controversial horror films Audition and Ichi the Killer. Throughout the 2010s, Miike directed some of the decade's greatest samurai movies. Blade of the Immortal, based on Hiroaki Samura's manga series of the same name, is one of those films. Takuya Kimura stars as Manji, a samurai cursed with immortality who helps a young girl avenge her father's death.

Despite receiving positive reviews from critics and having a popular manga series as its source material, Blade of the Immortal underperformed at the box office, grossing only $7 million. Critics lauded Blade of the Immortal's kinetic action sequences and distinctive use of supernatural elements. Blade of the Immortal earned three Asian Film Award nominations for Best Supporting Actress, Best Action Film, and Best Costume Designer.

Blade of the Immortal

R

Action

Fantasy

Drama

Cursed with a life of immortality, a samurai is tasked by a young girl to help avenge the death of her father. Based on the manga series by Hiroaki Samura.

Director

Takashi Miike

Release Date

November 3, 2017

Cast

Takuya Kimura , Hana Sugisaki , Sota Fukushi , Hayato Ichihara , Kazuki Kitamura

Writers

Hiroaki Samura , Tetsuya Oishi

Runtime

140 minutes

Main Genre

Action

Production Company

Warner Bros., Oriental Light and Magic (OLM), Recorded Picture Company (RPC)

2 Hara-kiri: Death of a Samurai Is a 3D Remake of the Masaki Kobayashi Classic Harakiri (2011)

• IMDb Rating: 7.3

On paper, a 3D remake of Masaki Kobayashi's samurai classic Harakiri sounds like a horrendous idea. Fortunately, in the hands of Takashi Miike, this audacious remake turned into one of the best samurai movies of the 2010s. Hara-kiri: Death of a Samurai follows an aging samurai who seeks vengeance against the house of a feudal lord after tragic circumstances take place involving the samurai's daughter and son-in-law.

Hara-kiri: Death of a Samurai earned positive reviews from critics for its ensemble acting performances, Miike's direction, and Ryuichi Sakamoto's score. The movie received two Asian Film Award nominations for Best Supporting Actress and Best Composer. Hara-kiri: Death of a Samurai also garnered two Japan Academy Film Prize nominations for Best Supporting Actress and Best Art Direction. The Village Voice's Michael Atkinson commended the film, writing "Hara-Kiri: Death of a Samurai is more than just another bid for respectability, like 13 Assassins, it may well be Miike's best film, a patient, ominous piece of epic storytelling that conscientiously rips the scabs off the honorable samurai mythology."

Hara-Kiri: Death of a Samurai

Drama

History

Hara-Kiri: Death of a Samurai, a remake directed by Takashi Miike, follows the story of a poverty-stricken samurai seeking to commit seppuku in the courtyard of a prominent feudal lord, reflecting the themes of honor and despair in the backdrop of the Edo period. Starring Ebizō Ichikawa, Eita, and Kōji Yakusho, the film delves into the haunting and tragic consequences of rigid societal codes.

Director

Takashi Miike

Release Date

October 15, 2011

Cast

Kôji Yakusho , Ichikawa Ebizo XI , Eita Nagayama , Hikari Mitsushima , Naoto Takenaka , Kazuki Namioka , Hirofumi Arai , Munetaka Aoki

Writers

Yasuhiko Takiguchi , Kikumi Yamagishi

Main Genre

Drama

1 13 Assassins Is the Best Samurai Movie Since 2010 (2010)

• IMDb Rating: 7.5

Takashi Miike's 13 Assassins is the best samurai movie since 2010. A remake of Eiichi Kudo's 1963 samurai film of the same name, 13 Assassins focuses on a group of assassins who come together for a suicide mission to kill an evil lord. Sadly, for international distribution, 13 Assassins' 141-minute runtime was edited down to 125 minutes.

Compared favorably to the works of Akira Kurosawa, 13 Assassins was a triumphant critical success, winning four Japan Academy Film Prize awards out of ten nominations. The National Board of Review named 13 Assassins one of the year's five best foreign language films. The Los Angeles Times' Kevin Thomas gave 13 Assassins an overwhelmingly positive review, writing "Few filmmakers juxtapose cruelty and beauty as audaciously as Japan's Takashi Miike. A master director with great style and panache, Miike's latest, 13 Assassins, is a classic samurai movie, right up there among the finest in the genre." In 2014, 13 Assassins finished 94th on Time Out's poll of the greatest action films of all time.

13 Assassins

R

A group of assassins come together for a suicide mission to kill an evil lord.

Director

Takashi Miike

Release Date

September 25, 2010

Cast

Kôji Yakusho , Takayuki Yamada , Yusuke Iseya

Runtime

2 hours 21 minutes

Main Genre

Action

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