Seven Samurai
七人の侍
“Unmatched for suspense and spectacle!”
Synopsis
A samurai answers a village's request for protection after he falls on hard times. The town needs protection from bandits, so the samurai gathers six others to help him teach the people how to defend themselves, and the villagers provide the soldiers with food.
Trailers, Teasers & Extra Featurettes
Official promotional previews, behind-the-scenes footage, and exclusive clips.
BFI 4K Restoration Trailer [Subtitled]Official
Type: Trailer • Published 2024-08-20
Top Cast
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Toshirō Mifune
Kikuchiyo
Takashi Shimura
Kambei Shimada
Yoshio Inaba
Gorobei Katayama
Seiji Miyaguchi
Kyuzo
Minoru Chiaki
Heihachi Hayashida
Daisuke Katō
Shichiroji
Isao Kimura
Katsushiro Okamoto
Keiko Tsushima
Shino
Yukiko Shimazaki
Rikichi's Wife
Kamatari Fujiwara
Manzô - Father of Shino
Yoshio Kosugi
Mosuke
Bokuzen Hidari
Yohei
Yoshio Tsuchiya
Rikichi
Kokuten Kōdō
Gisaku, the Old Man
Eijirō Tōno
Kidnapper
Jun Tatara
Coolie A
Atsushi Watanabe
Bun Seller
Toranosuke Ogawa
Grandfather of Kidnapped Girl
Release History & Theatrical Window
Japanese Film Festival
Festival / Special Debut
July 4, 2024
Wide Cinema Exhibition
January 1, 1997
Physical Home Media
Financials & Box Office Performance
Production Budget
$2M
Filming & production cost
Worldwide Gross
$105M
Total global ticket sales
Box Office Return
52.5x
+$103M net gain
Theatrical Status
Mega Hit
Box office tier
Key Information & Fast Facts
- Director
- Akira Kurosawa
- Screenplay & Story
- Hideo Oguni, Shinobu Hashimoto, Akira Kurosawa
- Original Score
- Fumio Hayasaka
- Original Title
- 七人の侍
- Country of Origin
- Japan
- Spoken Languages
- Japanese
- Runtime
- 3h 27m
- Production Budget
- $2M
- Worldwide Gross
- $105M
- Production Studios
- TOHO
Creative Leadership & Key Crew
Akira Kurosawa
Hideo Oguni, Shinobu Hashimoto, Akira Kurosawa
Fumio Hayasaka
Asakazu Nakai
Akira Kurosawa
Sōjirō Motoki
Department Leadership Roster
Hideo Oguni
Screenplay
Shinobu Hashimoto
Screenplay
Akira Kurosawa
Director
Sōjirō Motoki
Producer
Akira Kurosawa
Screenplay
Asakazu Nakai
Director of Photography
Fumio Hayasaka
Original Music Composer
Akira Kurosawa
Editor
Mieko Yamaguchi
Costume Design
Age Classification & Content Advisories
Official viewer rating standards and content warnings across international classification boards.
NR: Not Rated — Evaluated outside standard classification boards.
International Certification Matrix
Parental Guidance — Recommended for mature viewers.
FSK 16 — Restricted to viewers aged 16 and older.
Parental Guidance — Unlikely to upset children 8 and older.
Not Rated — Evaluated outside standard classification boards.
Production Stills & Gallery
Official cinematic photography and background stills for Seven Samurai.
Featured In Curated Collections
Editorial lists, community rankings, and cinematic collections featuring Seven Samurai.
Movie Collection
1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die
1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die (All editions 2003-2024). A cumulative list including films subsequently removed in later editions. Totaling 1,260 films as of Nov 2024. 《1001部死前必看的电影》（2003-2024 全版本累积版）： 包含自2003年首版至2024年11月德语版修订的所有影片。即使在后期版本中被剔除的电影也予以保留。 *注：榜单源数据中包含部分剧集/迷你剧，由于本片单只收录纯电影，故不再收录以下非电影条目：* • [#019] Lovers Rock (2020) • [#418] Dekalog (1989) *(Updated via Automated ETL Pipeline: 2026-10-18 07:40:36 UTC+8)*
Roger Ebert's Great Movies
Every film from Roger Ebert's 'Great Movies' essays. 罗杰·伊伯特的伟大电影： 收录了已故美国著名国民级影评人罗杰·伊伯特（Roger Ebert）在其经典的《伟大电影》（Great Movies）系列专栏文章中推荐、评论过的所有影史经典佳作。 *注：榜单源数据中包含部分剧集/迷你剧，由于本片单只收录纯电影，故不再收录以下非电影条目：* • [#092] Dekalog (1989) *(Updated via Automated ETL Pipeline: 2026-10-18 07:39:08 UTC+8)*
S&S Critics - Greatest Films
Sight and Sound Greatest Films of All Time 2022 (Critics' Poll). Every decade the Sight and Sound team asks critics to name the greatest films of all time. Here are the results of the 2022 poll – the largest ever, with 1,639 critics, programmers, curators, archivists and academics each submitting their top ten ballot - and now updated with the complete list. 《视与听》2022年影评人评选影史百大电影（含并列完整版）： 由 1639 位影评人、策展人及学者共同票选的影史最伟大电影。 *注：榜单源数据中包含部分剧集/迷你剧，由于本片单只收录纯电影，故不再收录以下非电影条目：* • [#152] Twin Peaks: The Return (2017) • [#171] Out 1 (1971) *(Updated via Automated ETL Pipeline: 2026-10-18 07:37:09 UTC+8)*
S&S Directors - Greatest Films
Sight and Sound’s Directors’ 100 Greatest Films of All Time 2022. Every decade since 1992, Sight and Sound has complemented its celebrated critics’ poll by formally sounding out the world’s leading directors on the ten films they believe to be the greatest of all time. 《视与听》2022年导演评选影史百大电影： 由全球 480 位知名导演共同票选出的影史最伟大电影。 *(Updated via Automated ETL Pipeline: 2026-10-18 07:36:57 UTC+8)*
Letterboxd's Top 500 Films
Letterboxd's Top 500 Films. Ranks narrative feature films by average member rating (minimum 25,000 ratings). Excludes documentaries, shorts, and TV series. Letterboxd 官方 Top 500 电影榜单： 根据用户平均评分排名的剧情长片（最低2.5万评价门槛）。已排除纪录片、短片及剧集。 *(Updated via Automated ETL Pipeline: 2026-10-18 07:35:27 UTC+8)*
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Frequently Asked Questions About Seven Samurai
Quick factual answers about cast, synopsis, director, box office, and release information.
What is Seven Samurai about?
A samurai answers a village's request for protection after he falls on hard times. The town needs protection from bandits, so the samurai gathers six others to help him teach the people how to defend themselves, and the villagers provide the soldiers with food.
Who directed Seven Samurai?
Seven Samurai was directed by Akira Kurosawa.
Who stars in Seven Samurai?
The principal cast of Seven Samurai includes Toshirō Mifune, Takashi Shimura, Yoshio Inaba, Seiji Miyaguchi, Minoru Chiaki.
When was Seven Samurai released and how long is it?
Seven Samurai was released in 1954 with a total runtime of 3h 27m.
What was the box office and production budget of Seven Samurai?
Seven Samurai had a reported production budget of $2M and grossed $105M at the worldwide box office (52.5 return on budget, classified as a blockbuster success).
Who composed the musical score for Seven Samurai?
The original motion picture soundtrack for Seven Samurai was composed by Fumio Hayasaka.
What is the age rating and content advisory for Seven Samurai?
Seven Samurai holds official age classifications: AU: PG (Parental Guidance — Recommended for mature viewers.); DE: 16 (FSK 16 — Restricted to viewers aged 16 and older.); FR: TP; GB: PG (Parental Guidance — Unlikely to upset children 8 and older.); US: NR (Not Rated — Evaluated outside standard classification boards.).