7 Best Akira Kurosawa Movies

By Vlad Zakh · February 4, 2026

Akira Kurosawa brought sweeping visual grandeur and deep moral complexity to Japanese cinema and influenced generations of filmmakers worldwide. Seven Samurai has a poor village hiring seven ronin against bandits, Yojimbo has a wandering samurai playing two gangs against each other, and High and Low has an executive deciding whether to pay a ransom. Ran, Ikiru, Rashomon and Drunken Angel round out the list.

Ran (1985)

IMDb ★ 8.2 RT 96% Metacritic 97

An ageing warlord's decision to divide his kingdom among his sons ignites a catastrophic war.

Directed by Akira Kurosawa · 2h 40m · Rated R

Won 1 Oscar30 wins & 23 nominations

Where to watch

Stream: Lionsgate+ Amazon Channel, BFI Player Amazon Channel

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

High and Low (1963)

IMDb ★ 8.4 RT 97% Metacritic 90

A wealthy executive must decide whether to pay a ransom demanded for the wrong kidnapped child.

Directed by Akira Kurosawa · 2h 22m · Rated NR

3 wins & 3 nominations

Where to watch

Stream: HBO Max Amazon Channel, HBO Max · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Yojimbo (1961)

IMDb ★ 8.2 RT 96% Metacritic 93

A wandering samurai plays two rival gangs against each other to liberate a terrorised town.

Directed by Akira Kurosawa · 1h 50m · Rated NR

Nominated for 1 Oscar5 wins & 2 nominations

Where to watch

Stream: HBO Max Amazon Channel, HBO Max · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Seven Samurai (1954)

IMDb ★ 8.6 RT 100% Metacritic 98

A poor village hires seven masterless samurai to defend it from a band of marauding bandits.

Directed by Akira Kurosawa · 3h 27m · Rated NR

Nominated for 2 Oscars5 wins & 9 nominations

Where to watch

Stream: HBO Max Amazon Channel, HBO Max · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Ikiru (1952)

IMDb ★ 8.3 RT 98% Metacritic 92

A terminally ill bureaucrat dedicates his final months to accomplishing one meaningful act of public good.

Directed by Akira Kurosawa · 2h 23m · Rated NR

Nominated for 1 BAFTA Award6 wins & 2 nominations

Where to watch

Stream: HBO Max Amazon Channel, Criterion Channel, HBO Max · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Rashomon (1950)

IMDb ★ 8.1 RT 98% Metacritic 98

Four witnesses recount the same crime with four completely irreconcilable versions of events.

Directed by Akira Kurosawa · 1h 28m · Rated NR

Nominated for 1 Oscar9 wins & 5 nominations

Where to watch

Stream: HBO Max Amazon Channel, HBO Max · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Drunken Angel (1948)

TMDB ★ 7.7

An alcoholic doctor tries to save a tubercular gangster from both his illness and his own criminal life.

Directed by Akira Kurosawa · 1h 38m · Rated NR

Where to watch

Stream: Criterion Channel

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Streaming availability data from JustWatch, via TMDB. Availability changes often, so check the service before you plan a movie night.

Vlad Zakh

Founder, Movieix

Founder of Movieix. He started the site because most recommendation pages felt like noise. Here, lists are sorted by who's in the film, where it's from and what mood you're in tonight.

7 Best Akira Kurosawa Movies

Ran (1985)

High and Low (1963)

Yojimbo (1961)

Seven Samurai (1954)

Ikiru (1952)

Rashomon (1950)

Drunken Angel (1948)

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