Akira Kurosawa: Every Movie Ranked Worst To Best

11. The Hidden Fortress (1958)

Ikiru 1952
Toho

As the inspiration for Star Wars, The Hidden Fortress is often talked about for its influence rather than its own unique brilliance.

The story of two peasants (Minoru Chiaki and Kamatari Fujiwara) who agree to escort an infamous general (Toshiro Mifune) and an endangered princess (Misa Uehara) across enemy lines, the action-adventure classic was made by Kurosawa as a more accessible film to compliment his other heavy hitting dramas of the time.

Finished with awesome set pieces, another rollicking performance from Mifune, and a relentless energy action films today sorely lack, the influential masterpiece is a lot more than the space opera it helped create, and features Kurosawa at the height of his powers.

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