Swords, martial arts, and bones breaking – the three ingredients to a perfect samurai movie! Samura movies are action-packed and are entertaining to watch. Many famous modern movies like John Wick (2014) or Star Wars (1977) have taken samurai movies as their inspirations. So if you are looking forward to watch some samurai movies on Hulu, this article is the perfect place to start your research.
Japanese cinema is credited with producing the best samurai movies we know today. These movies are filled with fighting scenes and carry answers to lots of questions of life. While samurai movies can help you become motivated and disciplined, there are some Japanese horror movies that you can watch to feel the goosebumps too!
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6 Of Our Favourite Samurai Movies On Hulu | Stream Them Right Now Wherever You Are!
Hulu is a great place to stream samurai movies. That is because Hulu has a large collection of movies available in every genre. Let’s swing our swords and check out the best samurai movies on Hulu for those who are fans of Japanese cinema and the ancient arts.
1# Seven Samurai (1954)
Legendary director Akira Kurosawa is known as one of the most influential directors in the global cinema industry. His film Seven Samurai is regarded as one of the best samurai movies ever, making it an easy movie recommendation on any samurai movie list.
Seven Samurai is a story about a group of samurais who team up to defend their village from thieves. It is filled with lots of action, drama, and emotional scenes. Kurosawa’s brilliant cinematography and unique storytelling make Seven Samurai a visual masterpiece. Almost 50 years after its release, it is still a must-watch for every samurai movie fan!
IMDb Rating – 8.6/10
2# 13 Assasin (2010)
Set in 1844, 13 Assasin is a movie about a group of samurai that band together to achieve one common goal. That goal is to kill the evil landlord torturing the native villagers. The hard work and training of the samurais will motivate you to hit the gym!
13 Assasins is a remake of a 1964 movie with the same title. This remake does a good job of doing justice to the original movie. The plot is written well, and the great camera work in the movie pushes the samurai movie genre forward. While 13 Assasins start slow, as the samurais are assembled one by one, the fight scenes, in the end, make the build-up worth the wait.
IMDb Rating – 7.6/10
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3# Samurai Rebbelion (1967)
Samurai Rebellion is a more heavy and serious movie. While it has the usual fight scene you will expect from a samurai movie; it also poses many questions. The movie sees a samurai question his life and place in the society under the feudal system.
His identity crisis eventually sees him lead a rebellion against the landlords in order to save his son from punishment. Samurai Rebellion carefully creates the samurais’ character as the movie progresses. The movie ends with the fight scenes filled with the samurai’s amazing display of martial arts. Samurai Rebellion is beautifully shot with stunning Japanese countryside as the movie’s backdrop.
IMDb Rating – 8.6/10
4# Shogun Assassin (1980)
Shogun Assassin is based on a manga written in the ’70s that got made into multiple movies. The movies were a huge hit in Japan. But for the international audience, the first two movies got edited together into one movie and were released. The released version is what we famously know now as Shogun Assassin.
It focuses on a samurai who is a lone wolf raising a child on his own. He walks through the lands, pushing the baby in a wooden stroller. Shogun Assasin is filled with drama and lots of kicking of enemy butts. There’s lots of blood and gore, and don’t we love to see that in an action movie!?
IMDb Rating – 7.4/10
5# Twilight Samurai (2002)
Not often do we see movies from Japan as the highlight of the Oscars. Enter – Twilight Samurai. It is one of the most famous samurai movies and has been nominated for several Oscars and other international film awards. Even though it didn’t win an Oscar, the nomination gave it international recognition.
Twilight Samurai is an emotional movie about a widowed samurai who is reunited with his childhood love, Tomoe, after a long time. The movie is slow and focuses on the relationship of our two protagonists. All is not well as the ex-husband of Tomoe comes into the picture, and now our samurai hero must fight him to death.
IMDb Rating – 8.1/10
6# Harakiri (1962)
If you don’t know what the word harakiri means, let me explain it. It’s a method of suicide that is based on an ancient Japanese warrior culture. That is enough for you to know what the movie, Harakiri is about.
A samurai comes to the courtyard of a feudal lord to commit harakiri. The story is intense and sad and will break your heart. While Harakiri touches a sensitive topic, there are fight scenes spread throughout the movies if that is what you are looking for. Harakiri also has a remake made in 2011, but we prefer the original.
IMDb Rating – 8.6/10
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Final Words
People who love good cinema have always loved good samurai movies. They give you the adrenaline rush with their epic fight scenes and have good storylines. This list of samurai movies on Hulu can help be a good starting point to explore more movies in the genre. Which is your favorite samurai movie of all time? Let us know in the comments below!