Top 5 Films For When You Finish Ghost Of Tsushima

Dane recommends some classic Japanese films.

- Dane Townsend

If you’re reading this article, you’ve, in all likelihood, successfully mowed through the hordes of Mongol invaders on the cosy little island of Tsushima, and are hungry for more katana swinging goodness. Luckily for you, Sucker Punch drew heavily from many classic Japanese films when developing Ghost of Tsushima, so there’s a whole host of content for you to enjoy (which will also help you to appreciate how respectful Sucker Punch was to the chanbara genre). Here’s a few of my favourites to get you started.

Number 5: Sanjuro

Sanjuro, released in 1962, is the lesser-known follow up to Akira Kurosawa’s beloved Yojimbo from the previous year. Whilst technically a sequel to Yojimbo, the film stands on its own and can be watched independent of its elder brother. The film follows a wandering ronin (played by Toshiro Mifune) who encounters a naive and silly group of samurai who are attempting to root out corruption in their village. However, the samurai prove themselves ineffective at doing this, so the ronin takes charge in attempting to apprehend the corrupt lord chamberlain.

Of Akira Kurosawa’s work, Sanjuro is probably the most light-hearted. Toshiro Mifune’s portrayal of the main character is very comedic and large parts of the film plays to slapstick humour, which won’t appeal to everyone. The story is solid, however, and there’s some excellent fight scenes that showcase Kurosawa’s effortless mastery over-blocking and sword choreography. The end duel, in particular, is one of the most influential in cinema history.