Tatsuya Nakadai

In Akira Kurosawa’s dazzling samurai epic (loosely based on King Lear), chaos erupts as Lord Hidetora divides his empire among his three warring sons.

As Shingen, a powerful warlord, lies dying from his battle wounds, he orders his clan to find a double to replace him -- to keep his death secret so his enemies won't attack. The man chosen for this role turns out to be a petty criminal who must somehow transform into a great leader of samurai warriors. It is a milestone in Akira Kurosawa's career.

Director Masaki Kobayashi (Harakiri) was attracted to Junpei Gomikawa's source novel because he recognised himself in the character of the protagonist Kaji, an ardent pacifist who came of age during the aggressively militaristic 1930s and 40s. Kaji is relocated to a mine-supervising job in Manchuria, where he is horrified by the use of forced labour. Throughout, Kobayashi unflinchingly examines the psychological toll of appallingly complex decisions, where being morally 'right' risks outcomes ranging from ostracism to savage beating to death. As Kaji, Tatsuya Nakadai (Sanjuro) is in virtually every scene, providing a rock-solid emotional anchor - and a necessary one in Japan, where the film was hugely controversial for being openly critical of the nation's conduct during WWII. But it's this willingness to confront national taboos head-on that makes it such a lastingly powerful experience.

Yojimbo is the story of Sanjuro, a samurai in nineteenth-century Japan who drifts into a rural town and learns from the innkeeper that the town is divided between two gangs.

Toshirô Mifune is unforgettable as Kingo Gondo, a wealthy industrialist whose family becomes the target of a cold-blooded kidnapper in Akira Kurosawa’s highly influential High and Low (Tengoku to jigoku).

The follow-up to hugely successful Yojimbo, sees the return of star Toshiro Mifune as the samurai who cleans up corruption in a small town.