Akira Kurosawa: Every Movie Ranked Worst To Best

27. Sanshiro Sugata (1943)

Kurosawa's first film was based on the novel of the same name by Tsuneo Tomita, and tells the story of a judoka on a mission to master his skills.

Featuring many of the traits best associated with the director, including a turbulent man versus nature finale and innovative camera movements, Sanshiro Sugata was also the first film to feature Kurosawa's most frequent collaborator, Takashi Shimura.

There are some first-time director issues, mainly with its wonky narrative structure, but all told the action debut is a promising start to a career few could have possibly foreseen.