Three Outlaw Samurai

"One...two...three Samurai filling the giant screen with flashing swordplay"

1964 1h 33m JA

🙌

7.5

BANGER

★7.5TMDB · 118

ActionDrama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Shiba, a wandering ronin, encounters a band of peasants who have kidnapped the daughter of their dictatorial magistrate, in hopes of coercing from him a reduction in taxes. Shiba takes up their fight, joined by two renegades from the magistrate's guard, Sakura and Kikyo. The three outlaws find themselves in a battle to the death.

“One...two...three Samurai filling the giant screen with flashing swordplay”

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Where to watch · US

Criterion ChannelSubscription

Cast

Tetsuro Tamba
Sakon Shiba
Isamu Nagato
Kyôjûrô Sakura
Mikijiro Hira
Einosuke Kikyo
Miyuki Kuwano
Aya
Yoshiko Kayama
Oyasu
Yōko Mihara
Omaki
Kyoko Aoi
Omitsu
Kamatari Fujiwara
Jinbei

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Hideo Gosha
Writers: Hideo Gosha, Keiichi Abe, Eizaburo Shiba
Languages: Japanese
Countries: Japan

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 7

ERA

Did you know

62 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Hideo Gosha, shot by Tadashi Sakai. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Toshiaki Tsushima. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Kazuo Ôta shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 7

CAST

Did you know

Tetsuro Tamba and Isamu Nagato and Mikijiro Hira carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "One...two...three Samurai filling the giant screen with flashing swordplay".

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 7

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0058652 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Hideo Gosha directs. Tadashi Sakai behind the camera. Toshiaki Tsushima scores. Kazuo Ôta cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in Japan. Dialogue in Japanese.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

162 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
2Directed by Hideo Gosha, shot by Tadashi Sakai. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
3Original score by Toshiaki Tsushima. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
4Editor Kazuo Ôta shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
5Tetsuro Tamba and Isamu Nagato and Mikijiro Hira carry the top of the cast.
6Marketing tagline: "One...two...three Samurai filling the giant screen with flashing swordplay".
7IMDB entry: tt0058652 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
8Classified under 10 themes, including "samurai", "peasant", "katana", "murder".