[Akira]

Zatoichi: The Blind Swordsman is a modern rendition of Japanese classic samurai movie called the Blind Swordsman. Actually, it's a series of films and they all revolve around a blind masseuse who acts very timid and pacifistic. But when aggrivated to a certain degree, Zatoichi will annihilate anything in sight. I've seen some of the old movies as well as some of the newer remakes. The newer ones tend to stress lots of violence and blood spilling; in my opinion, not a bad thing. Definitely movies worth checking out if you like samurai culture as well as good action packed flicks.

Another movie worth checking out is Ran. This movie by the legendary Akira Kurosawa, revolves around a Japanese kingdom under the rule of a daimyo. In the beginning, the daimyo gathers his three sons for a metting and tells them that he will divide the kingdom amongst the three. The eldest son warns his father that this will create aggressions amongst the brothers but the father doesn't listen and banishes the son. The whole movie is about the realisation of the eldest son's prediction and the struggle to reinstate balance within the land. This movie has some really epic samurai battles, long before anything like Braveheart or The Gladiator came out. I can only highly recommend this film as well as other films by Akira Kurosawa. He isn't referred to as a god in the Japanese filming industry for nothing (think of him as Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, and Peter Jackson combined; okay maybe not that good but still a damn great director).