Akira Kurosawa Top 10 Films lists
by bderoes-12985 | created - 11 May 2015 | updated - 13 Jun 2015 | PublicList order is Google's "Movies frequently mentioned on the web" in response to my query "top 10 akira kurosawa films", retrieved 10.May.2015
Interesting that he has no additional films in IMDb Top 1000 beyond those in Top 250, at least not that he directed.
AK 100: 25 Films by Akira Kurosawa 2009 box set from Criterion, list price $400, now OOP.
http://www.criterion.com/boxsets/678-ak-100-25-films-by-akira-kurosawa
http://watchmojo.com/video/id/12865/
http://www.top10films.co.uk/archives/23101
http://worldsbestfilms.blogspot.com/2011/08/top-ranked-films-of-akira-kurosawa.html
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1. Seven Samurai (1954)
Not Rated | 207 min | Action, Drama
Farmers from a village exploited by bandits hire a veteran samurai for protection, who gathers six other samurai to join him.
Director: Akira Kurosawa | Stars: Toshirô Mifune, Takashi Shimura, Keiko Tsushima, Yukiko Shimazaki
Votes: 366,882 | Gross: $0.27M
AK 100: 25 Films by Akira Kurosawa 2009 box set IMDb Top 250 #20 WatchMojo.com #1 top10films.co.uk #1 worldsbestfilms.blogspot.com #1 They Shoot Pictures Don't They #9 (1st)
2. Rashomon (1950)
Not Rated | 88 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
The rape of a bride and the murder of her samurai husband are recalled from the perspectives of a bandit, the bride, the samurai's ghost and a woodcutter.
Director: Akira Kurosawa | Stars: Toshirô Mifune, Machiko Kyô, Masayuki Mori, Takashi Shimura
Votes: 180,493 | Gross: $0.10M
AK 100: 25 Films by Akira Kurosawa 2009 box set IMDb Top 250 #95 WatchMojo.com #2 top10films.co.uk #4 worldsbestfilms.blogspot.com #2 They Shoot Pictures Don't They #20 (2nd)
3. Ran (1985)
R | 160 min | Action, Drama, War
In Medieval Japan, an elderly warlord retires, handing over his empire to his three sons. However, he vastly underestimates how the new-found power will corrupt them and cause them to turn on each other...and him.
Director: Akira Kurosawa | Stars: Tatsuya Nakadai, Akira Terao, Jinpachi Nezu, Daisuke Ryû
Votes: 136,221 | Gross: $4.14M
based on King Lear IMDb Top 250 #131 WatchMojo.com #3 top10films.co.uk #3 worldsbestfilms.blogspot.com #3 They Shoot Pictures Don't They #167 (4th)
4. Yojimbo (1961)
Not Rated | 110 min | Action, Drama, Thriller
A crafty ronin comes to a town divided by two criminal gangs and decides to play them against each other to free the town.
Director: Akira Kurosawa | Stars: Toshirô Mifune, Eijirô Tôno, Tatsuya Nakadai, Yôko Tsukasa
Votes: 131,375
AK 100: 25 Films by Akira Kurosawa 2009 box set IMDb Top 250 #105 WatchMojo.com #4 top10films.co.uk #5 worldsbestfilms.blogspot.com #5 They Shoot Pictures Don't They #390 (8th)
5. Throne of Blood (1957)
Not Rated | 110 min | Drama
A war-hardened general, egged on by his ambitious wife, works to fulfill a prophecy that he would become lord of Spider's Web Castle.
Director: Akira Kurosawa | Stars: Toshirô Mifune, Minoru Chiaki, Isuzu Yamada, Takashi Shimura
Votes: 55,962
based on Macbeth AK 100: 25 Films by Akira Kurosawa 2009 box set WatchMojo.com #6 top10films.co.uk #8 worldsbestfilms.blogspot.com #6 They Shoot Pictures Don't They #271 (5th)
6. Ikiru (1952)
Not Rated | 143 min | Drama
A bureaucrat tries to find meaning in his life after he discovers he has terminal cancer.
Director: Akira Kurosawa | Stars: Takashi Shimura, Nobuo Kaneko, Shin'ichi Himori, Haruo Tanaka
Votes: 87,568 | Gross: $0.06M
AK 100: 25 Films by Akira Kurosawa 2009 box set IMDb Top 250 #128 WatchMojo.com #7 top10films.co.uk #2 worldsbestfilms.blogspot.com #4 They Shoot Pictures Don't They #114 (3rd)
7. High and Low (1963)
Not Rated | 143 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
An executive of a Yokohama shoe company becomes a victim of extortion when his chauffeur's son is kidnapped by mistake and held for ransom.
Director: Akira Kurosawa | Stars: Toshirô Mifune, Yutaka Sada, Tatsuya Nakadai, Kyôko Kagawa
Votes: 53,215
AK 100: 25 Films by Akira Kurosawa 2009 box set WatchMojo.com #9 top10films.co.uk #6 worldsbestfilms.blogspot.com #7 They Shoot Pictures Don't They #342 (6th)
8. The Hidden Fortress (1958)
Not Rated | 126 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
Lured by gold, two greedy peasants unknowingly escort a princess and her general across enemy lines.
Director: Akira Kurosawa | Stars: Toshirô Mifune, Misa Uehara, Minoru Chiaki, Kamatari Fujiwara
Votes: 42,250
AK 100: 25 Films by Akira Kurosawa 2009 box set WatchMojo.com #5 worldsbestfilms.blogspot.com #10 They Shoot Pictures Don't They #1247 (13th)
9. Dreams (1990)
PG | 119 min | Drama, Fantasy
A collection of tales based upon eight of director Akira Kurosawa's recurring dreams.
Directors: Akira Kurosawa, Ishirô Honda | Stars: Akira Terao, Mitsuko Baishô, Toshie Negishi, Mieko Harada
Votes: 29,188 | Gross: $1.96M
10. Kagemusha: The Shadow Warrior (1980)
PG | 162 min | Drama, History, War
A petty thief with an utter resemblance to a samurai warlord is hired as the lord's double. When the warlord later dies the thief is forced to take up arms in his place.
Director: Akira Kurosawa | Stars: Tatsuya Nakadai, Tsutomu Yamazaki, Ken'ichi Hagiwara, Jinpachi Nezu
Votes: 38,178
AK 100: 25 Films by Akira Kurosawa 2009 box set WatchMojo.com #10 worldsbestfilms.blogspot.com #9 They Shoot Pictures Don't They #431 (9th)
11. Stray Dog (1949)
Not Rated | 122 min | Crime, Drama, Film-Noir
During a sweltering summer, a rookie homicide detective tries to track down his stolen Colt pistol.
Director: Akira Kurosawa | Stars: Toshirô Mifune, Takashi Shimura, Keiko Awaji, Eiko Miyoshi
Votes: 18,937
AK 100: 25 Films by Akira Kurosawa 2009 box set WatchMojo.com H.M. top10films.co.uk #9 They Shoot Pictures Don't They #1171 (12th)
12. Drunken Angel (1948)
Not Rated | 102 min | Crime, Drama, Romance
A drunken doctor with a hot temper and a violence-prone gangster with tuberculosis form a quicksilver bond.
Director: Akira Kurosawa | Stars: Takashi Shimura, Toshirô Mifune, Reizaburô Yamamoto, Michiyo Kogure
Votes: 13,361
AK 100: 25 Films by Akira Kurosawa 2009 box set WatchMojo.com H.M.
13. Sanjuro (1962)
Not Rated | 96 min | Action, Drama, Thriller
A crafty samurai helps a young man and his fellow clansmen trying to save his uncle, who has been framed and imprisoned by a corrupt superintendent.
Director: Akira Kurosawa | Stars: Toshirô Mifune, Tatsuya Nakadai, Keiju Kobayashi, Yûnosuke Itô
Votes: 41,135
AK 100: 25 Films by Akira Kurosawa 2009 box set WatchMojo.com #8
14. Sanshiro Sugata (1943)
Not Rated | 79 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
Sugata, a young man, struggles to learn the nuance and meaning of judo, and in doing so comes to learn something of the meaning of life.
Director: Akira Kurosawa | Stars: Denjirô Ôkôchi, Susumu Fujita, Yukiko Todoroki, Ryûnosuke Tsukigata
Votes: 5,629
AK 100: 25 Films by Akira Kurosawa 2009 box set
15. Dersu Uzala (1975)
G | 142 min | Adventure, Biography, Drama
The Russian army sends an explorer on an expedition to the snowy Siberian wilderness where he makes friends with a seasoned local hunter.
Director: Akira Kurosawa | Stars: Maksim Munzuk, Yuriy Solomin, Mikhail Bychkov, Vladimir Khrulyov
Votes: 33,525
16. Red Beard (1965)
Not Rated | 185 min | Drama
In 19th-century Japan, a rough-tempered yet charitable town doctor trains a young intern.
Director: Akira Kurosawa | Stars: Toshirô Mifune, Yûzô Kayama, Tsutomu Yamazaki, Reiko Dan
Votes: 21,104
AK 100: 25 Films by Akira Kurosawa 2009 box set WatchMojo.com H.M. top10films.co.uk #10 worldsbestfilms.blogspot.com #11 They Shoot Pictures Don't They #940 (11th)
17. The Idiot (1951)
Not Rated | 166 min | Drama, Romance
A Japanese veteran, driven partially mad from the war, travels to the snowy island of Hokkaido where he soon enters a love triangle with his best friend and a disgraced woman.
Director: Akira Kurosawa | Stars: Setsuko Hara, Masayuki Mori, Toshirô Mifune, Yoshiko Kuga
Votes: 5,661
[The Idiot] AK 100: 25 Films by Akira Kurosawa 2009 box set
18. The Bad Sleep Well (1960)
Not Rated | 151 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
A vengeful young man marries the daughter of a corrupt industrialist in order to seek justice for his father's suicide.
Director: Akira Kurosawa | Stars: Toshirô Mifune, Masayuki Mori, Kyôko Kagawa, Tatsuya Mihashi
Votes: 14,022
AK 100: 25 Films by Akira Kurosawa 2009 box set top10films.co.uk #7
19. Dodes'ka-den (1970)
Not Rated | 140 min | Drama
Various tales in the lives of Tokyo slum dwellers, including a mentally deficient young man obsessed with driving his own commuter trolley.
Director: Akira Kurosawa | Stars: Yoshitaka Zushi, Kin Sugai, Toshiyuki Tonomura, Shinsuke Minami
Votes: 7,623
AK 100: 25 Films by Akira Kurosawa 2009 box set They Shoot Pictures Don't They #846 (10th)
20. The Quiet Duel (1949)
95 min | Drama
A surgeon gets syphilis from a patient when he cuts himself during an operation. The doctor's life is destroyed, but unlike the patient, he doesn't destroy others along with him.
Director: Akira Kurosawa | Stars: Toshirô Mifune, Takashi Shimura, Miki Sanjô, Kenjirô Uemura
Votes: 3,900
21. The Most Beautiful (1944)
Not Rated | 85 min | Drama
World War II film about female volunteer workers at an optics plant who do their best to meet production targets.
Director: Akira Kurosawa | Stars: Takashi Shimura, Sôji Kiyokawa, Ichirô Sugai, Takako Irie
Votes: 2,407
[The Most Beautiful] AK 100: 25 Films by Akira Kurosawa 2009 box set
22. Sanshiro Sugata, Part Two (1945)
Not Rated | 83 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
Sugata returns to prove his judo mastery in a match against Western opponents.
Director: Akira Kurosawa | Stars: Denjirô Ôkôchi, Susumu Fujita, Ryûnosuke Tsukigata, Akitake Kôno
Votes: 2,703
[Sanshiro Sugata, Part Two] AK 100: 25 Films by Akira Kurosawa 2009 box set
23. Madadayo (1993)
134 min | Drama
Following World War II, a retired professor approaching his autumn years finds his quality of life drastically reduced in war-torn Tokyo. Denying despair, he pursues writing and celebrates his birthday with his adoring students.
Directors: Akira Kurosawa, Ishirô Honda | Stars: Tatsuo Matsumura, Hisashi Igawa, George Tokoro, Masayuki Yui
Votes: 6,156 | Gross: $0.05M
AK 100: 25 Films by Akira Kurosawa 2009 box set WatchMojo.com H.M.
24. No Regrets for Our Youth (1946)
PG | 110 min | Drama
The daughter of a politically disgraced university professor struggles to find a place for herself in love and life, in the uncertain world of Japan leading into WWII.
Director: Akira Kurosawa | Stars: Setsuko Hara, Susumu Fujita, Denjirô Ôkôchi, Haruko Sugimura
Votes: 3,959
AK 100: 25 Films by Akira Kurosawa 2009 box set
25. I Live in Fear (1955)
103 min | Drama
An aging Japanese industrialist becomes so fearful of nuclear war that it begins to take a toll on his life and family.
Director: Akira Kurosawa | Stars: Toshirô Mifune, Takashi Shimura, Minoru Chiaki, Eiko Miyoshi
Votes: 5,539
AK 100: 25 Films by Akira Kurosawa 2009 box set
26. One Wonderful Sunday (1947)
Not Rated | 108 min | Drama, Romance
During a Sunday trip into war-ravaged Tokyo, despairing Yuzo and optimistic Masako look for work and lodging, as well as affordable entertainments to pass the time.
Director: Akira Kurosawa | Stars: Isao Numasaki, Chieko Nakakita, Atsushi Watanabe, Zekô Nakamura
Votes: 3,677
AK 100: 25 Films by Akira Kurosawa 2009 box set
27. Rhapsody in August (1991)
PG | 98 min | Drama, War
Three generations' responses to the atomic bombing of Nagasaki.
Director: Akira Kurosawa | Stars: Sachiko Murase, Richard Gere, Hisashi Igawa, Narumi Kayashima
Votes: 7,550 | Gross: $0.52M
28. The Men Who Tread on the Tiger's Tail (1945)
Not Rated | 59 min | Adventure, Drama, Thriller
A Japanese general and his men disguise themselves as monks in order to pass an enemy border patrol.
Director: Akira Kurosawa | Stars: Denjirô Ôkôchi, Susumu Fujita, Ken'ichi Enomoto, Masayuki Mori
Votes: 4,367
[The Men Who Tread on the Tiger’s Tail] AK 100: 25 Films by Akira Kurosawa 2009 box set
29. Scandal (1950)
Approved | 105 min | Drama
A celebrity photograph sparks a court case as a tabloid magazine spins a scandalous yarn over a painter and a famous singer.
Director: Akira Kurosawa | Stars: Toshirô Mifune, Shirley Yamaguchi, Yôko Katsuragi, Noriko Sengoku
Votes: 4,669
[Scandal] AK 100: 25 Films by Akira Kurosawa 2009 box set
30. The Lower Depths (1957)
Not Rated | 137 min | Drama
In a Japanese slum, various residents play out their lives, dreaming of better things or settling for their lot. Among them is a man who pines for a young woman but is stymied by her deceptive family.
Director: Akira Kurosawa | Stars: Toshirô Mifune, Isuzu Yamada, Kyôko Kagawa, Ganjirô Nakamura
Votes: 5,946
[The Lower Depths] AK 100: 25 Films by Akira Kurosawa 2009 box set
31. Those Who Make Tomorrow (1946)
82 min | Drama
Two sisters, one a dancer and the other a script supervisor at a big movie studio, become embroiled in union activities when a strike is called in sympathy with striking railroad workers, ... See full summary »
Directors: Akira Kurosawa, Hideo Sekigawa, Kajirô Yamamoto | Stars: Takashi Shimura, Kenji Susukida, Masayuki Mori, Sumie Tsubaki
Votes: 203
[Those Who Make Tomorrow]
32. Uma (1941)
128 min | Drama
Ine Onoda, the eldest daughter of a poor family of farmers, raises a colt from birth and comes to love the horse dearly. When the horse is grown, the government orders it auctioned and sold to the army. Ine struggles to prevent the sale.
Director: Kajirô Yamamoto | Stars: Hideko Takamine, Chieko Takehisa, Kamatari Fujiwara, Kaoru Futaba
Votes: 237
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