Top 10 Toshirô Mifune Movies, According to IMDb

Toshirô Mifune is a Japanese actor who starred in many of Akira Kurosawa’s films. These are Mifune’s best films according to IMDb ratings.

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Toshirô Mifune was a Japanese actor, producer and director. He starred in almost 200 movies and TV shows and has a starring role in some of the best movies of all time. His work with director Akira Kurosawa is among the most influential ever created; most Hollywood blockbusters can trace their heritage to films the pair made together.

While Mifune is most well-known for his work in samurai films, crime movies such as Stray Dog and The Bad Sleep Well demonstrated that Mifune could use his skills in multiple genres. To celebrate what would have been the actor’s 100th birthday, here are his 10 best movies, according to IMDb.

10 Sanjuro (1962) – 8.1

Originally an adaptation of Shûgorô Yamamoto’s novel Peaceful Days, Sanjuro was turned into a sequel to Yojimbo after that film’s success. Sanjuro sees the title character transplanted from a town in the Japanese countryside to a fortress town in the grips of a power struggle. The town’s superintendent wishes to wrest power from a chamberlain. The superintendent kidnaps the chamberlain and Sanjuro must team up with a group of local samurai to rescue him.

9 The Hidden Fortress (1958) – 8.1

The Hidden Fortress is perhaps best known in the United States as one of the primary inspirations for Star Wars. George Lucas lifted the technique of telling the story from the perspective of its lowest characters from the film; its basic plot would later be a major inspiration for The Phantom Menace.

Fortress follows two peasants who intend to join a clan’s army, but arrive too late; they are mistaken for soldiers from another, defeated clan and made prisoner. They eventually escape and must lead another pair (who, unbeknownst to the peasants, are a general and a princess) across enemy lines and into safe territory.

8 Throne of Blood (1957) – 8.1

Throne of Blood is one of Akira Kurosawa’s Shakespeare adaptations. Blood places the plot of Macbeth into feudal Japan with Mifune in the lead role. Kurosawa blended Shakespeare with elements of Japanese Noh drama, especially in the set design and use of flute and drum in the film’s score. The film takes several liberties with the text of Macbeth, but captures the spirit of both the play and its title character. It is considered by many literary critics to be one of the best Shakespeare adaptations.

7 The Life of Oharu (1952) – 8.2

The Life of Oharu is the only films on this list in which Mifune did not have a starring role. The film stars Kinuyo Tanaka as Oharu, a woman who is dogged by misfortune throughout her life. Mifune plays a page who courts the woman; the class difference between the two results in his execution and her sale as a concubine to a daimyo. Oharu bears him a son, but she must leave due to the jealousy of the daimyo’s wife.

The Life of Oharu is in the public domain in the United States.

6 Yojimbo (1961) – 8.2

Mifune made his first appearance as the samurai Sanjuro in this 1961 classic. This story of a ronin who wanders into the middle of a gang war became the inspiration for several films and characters; chief among them was Clint Eastwood’s Man With No Name and the Dollars trilogy. Yojimbo has been remade and referenced many times in western and Japanese media, but few adaptations have come close to the strength of the original.

5 Rashomon (1950) – 8.2

Rashomon is a film that has almost transcended film culture. The film is mentioned in plenty of outside contexts and it is always for one thing: its storytelling structure. The plot centers around four witness who give differing accounts of the same murder; this gave the “Rashomon effect” its name. Mifune plays a bandit who is one of the four witnesses. Mifune’s character claims to have dueled a samurai to the death after lusting after the samurai’s wife.

4 Samurai Rebellion (1967) – 8.4

Samurai Rebellion sees Mifune star as Isaburo, a vassal who rebels against his daimyo after the daimyo tries to force Isaburo’s daughter-in-law to rejoin his household. Inspired by the love his son and daughter-in-law have for one another, he helps protect the pair. They are killed by the daimyo’s samurai and Isaburo murders the samurai in a rage. Isaburo finally takes his claim to the shogun but is stopped by a former friend.

3 Red Beard (1965) – 8.4

Red Beard is the last collaboration between Mifune and Akira Kurosawa. It stars Mifune as Red Beard, a doctor at a rural clinic who trains a post-doctoral medical student. Red Beard and the student rescue a 12-year-old from a brothel. The girl becomes the student’s first patient.

The student meets other patients while treating the girl and learns to overcome his vanity and desire to become the shogun’s personal doctor.

2 High and Low (1963) – 8.5

Loosely based on Ed McBain’s novel King’s Ransom, High and Low stars Mifune as a shoe company executive whose plan to buy out the company is stalled when the son of his chauffeur is kidnapped. The kidnapper initially believes the child is the executive’s son, but demands the same ransom when he discovers his mistake. Mifune’s character must decide between paying the ransom or completing the buyout.

1 Seven Samurai (1954) – 8.6

Seven Samurai is arguably the bedrock on which all modern blockbuster filmmaking sits. The film, which sees seven samurai come together to defend a village from bandits, has been referenced and remixed so many times it’s easy to forget how good the film itself is. The cinematography, acting, and set pieces are all incredible and traces of each can be seen in any modern action or superhero film.

Link Source : https://screenrant.com/toshiro-mifune-movies-imdb/