15 Most Underrated Samurai Films Of All Time
2. Red Sun (1971)
By this point it should be evident why the Western and samurai genres are so similar. However, if you still need further proof, look no further than Dr No director Terence Young's Red Sun.
On their way to deliver a valuable ceremonial Japanese sword to the president of the United States, the train the Japanese ambassador and his samurai guards are on is robbed by notorious bandits Gauche (Alain Delon) and Link (Charles Bronson). However, after Link is double-crossed and left for dead by his partner, he joins forces with a surviving samurai (Toshiro Mifune) to kill Gauche and recover the sword.
Containing all the gunslinging firefights and samurai showdowns you could hope for in this east meets west western, Red Sun takes some of the best elements of each genre and blends them into a massively entertaining action flick.
With Bronson and Mifune providing some genuine laughs, too, Red Sun is an incredible samurai film and western wrapped in one package.