10 Best Classic Japanese Movies for Beginners

The 10 Best Classic Japanese Movies for Beginners

Toshiro Mifune as Kingo Gondo smoking a cigarette and staring at shoes kept on the table in High and Low.Image via Toho

By Jeremy Urquhart Published 3 minutes ago Jeremy has more than 2100 published articles on Collider to his name, and has been writing for the site since February 2022. He's an omnivore when it comes to his movie-watching diet, so will gladly watch and write about almost anything, from old Godzilla films to gangster flicks to samurai movies to classic musicals to the French New Wave to the MCU... well, maybe not the Disney+ shows. His favorite directors include Martin Scorsese, Sergio Leone, Akira Kurosawa, Quentin Tarantino, Werner Herzog, John Woo, Bob Fosse, Fritz Lang, Guillermo del Toro, and Yoji Yamada. He's also very proud of the fact that he's seen every single Nicolas Cage movie released before 2022, even though doing so often felt like a tremendous waste of time. He's plagued by the question of whether or not The Room is genuinely terrible or some kind of accidental masterpiece, and has been for more than 12 years (and a similar number of viewings). When he's not writing lists - and the occasional feature article - for Collider, he also likes to upload film reviews to his Letterboxd profile (username: Jeremy Urquhart) and Instagram account. He is also currently in the process of trying to become a Stephen King expert by reading all 2397 novels written by the author. Sign in to your Collider account Summary Generate a summary of this story follow Follow followed Followed Like Like Thread Log in Here is a fact-based summary of the story contents: Try something different: Show me the facts Explain it like I’m 5 Give me a lighthearted recap

The 1950s was a decade that some view as being part of a golden age of Japanese cinema, and there were enough films released in the 1960s (especially the first half) to suggest that this golden age crept over into that decade, too. Plenty of legendary Japanese filmmakers were active at this time, some from the silent era and some younger ones who were part of the Japanese New Wave movement.

It resulted in an almost overwhelming number of classics, so that’s why the following titles have been assembled and highlighted as good starting points for anyone wanting to explore classic Japanese cinema. Instead of a ranking being attempted, they're covered here in order of release. There are some incredible movies not mentioned here, like Seven Samurai (it’s long enough that you might want to watch some more easily digestible samurai films first), The Human Condition (it’s like 10 hours long), and Tokyo Story (there are a few Yasujirō Ozu films that might not be quite as great, but are more approachable). So, if you think there are omissions, uh, no. Stop commenting. You have been seen.

10 'Ikiru' (1952)

An elderly man in a park's swings under the snowImage via Toho

The relative slowness and undeniable sadness of Ikiru might make it sound a little difficult to approach, but there is a lot here that’s easy to appreciate, so long as you're prepared for something oftentimes gentle and bittersweet (with an emphasis on bitter, perhaps depending on your worldview). It’s about a bureaucrat who learns he’s dying, and so he decides to do something meaningful with the last stage of his life, breaking out of what his tedious and soul-crushing job demands of him and his co-workers.

But Ikiru is also realistic about this, and the film spends a long time on the man’s despair before he finds a purpose, and then after finding said purpose, there are still an almost overwhelming number of obstacles to overcome. It’s easy to be moved by this, but it’s also not as conveniently life-affirming as you might imagine a typical Hollywood film with this kind of premise to be, but that’s potentially what makes Ikiru special and surprisingly nuanced.

9 'Godzilla' (1954)

Godzilla towering over a populated area on a smoky nightImage via Toho

One of the more obvious picks here, especially because it’s the first movie in a long-running series and is therefore an ideal starting point, here’s Godzilla. It doesn’t necessarily establish the tone for many of the sequels that followed, since most (definitely not all) Godzilla movies are a little more focused on delivering action than being somber meditations on nuclear weapons, but still, it’s neat to see how seriously things are taken in this movie, and how much of it still holds up.

Since nuclear weapons – and the associated fears about them – still exist, that side of Godzilla remains feeling relevant.

Technically, Godzilla is executed well enough that much of it’s still unsettling, and even if you don’t find the effects particularly, um, effective anymore, nuclear weapons – and the associated fears about them – still exist, so that side of Godzilla remains feeling relevant. It’s a great disaster movie of sorts that just so happens to have a giant monster instead of a more typical/natural disaster, and it’s easy to see why it’s one of the most important Japanese movies of all time.

8 'Throne of Blood' (1957)

Toshiro Mifune in Throne of BloodImage via Toho

After Ikiru, Akira Kurosawa, of course, directed the aforementioned Seven Samurai, and then his streak kept going with Throne of Blood, which is one of the best cinematic takes on Shakespeare’s Macbeth ever. That being the premise does make Throne of Blood a little easier to approach and digest if you're more familiar with Shakespeare than Japanese cinema (for better or worse, that’s probably the case if you went to high school).

The darkness and tragedy are captured well here, and it also works as something of a samurai film, though not one that focuses much on action. The more accurate term would be referring to it as a jidaigeki film, as they're period dramas that often (but not exclusively) focus on samurai. Kurosawa reworked King Lear later in his career, with Ran (1985), which is probably his best Shakespeare-ish film (The Bad Sleep Well is also worthy of an honorable mention), but Throne of Blood’s probably the most straightforward one, and the easiest to watch first.

7 'Late Autumn' (1960)

Middle-aged woman looking towards the camera sadlyImage via Shochiku

There’s a good argument to be made that Yasujirō Ozu should be counted among the greatest filmmakers of all time, with Tokyo Story being the one that most people might start with, since it’s probably his most famous film. It might well also be his best, but it’s also challenging owing to how heavy it is (more so than the aforementioned Ikiru), so Late Autumn might be a better starting point if you're new to Ozu.

Letterboxd and IMDb count it as a comedy/drama film, but the emphasis is still on drama, albeit it is a bit lighter than some other dramas Ozu made. Late Autumn looks at social pressures regarding marriage and relationships, in that sense also being very much comparable to Ozu’s similarly-titled Late Spring, but that one is also a bit heavier. Late Autumn is gentle by Yasujirō Ozu standards, and certainly one of his very best movies overall.

6 'Yojimbo' (1961)

Toshiro Mifune doing some hard thinking in the Akira Kurosawa movie Yojimbo (1961)Image via Toho

The Bad Sleep Well was Akira Kurosawa’s first film of the 1960s, but Yojimbo ended up being his first great one of that decade. It’s about a gang war that’s impacting a small town, and what happens when a masterless samurai wanders in and decides to “ally” himself with both sides so he can take the lot out of them out swiftly, playing them against each other.

It’s a fun premise, and it’s executed well here, with a good mix of tension and some breezier scenes that are darkly comedic. It was followed up with Sanjuro, which is also very good and quite approachable for a film of its age, though the very best film Kurosawa directed in the 1960s was still a couple of years away, at this point, so more on that in a bit.

5 'Harakiri' (1962)

If it counts as an action movie, Harakiri is one of the heaviest of all time, though the fight sequences here are pretty sparse by samurai film standards. That’s okay, though, when it works as such a gripping drama with a structure that adds a great deal to the overall sense of dread here. There’s a man with a tragic past, and Harakiri sees him telling that story before he intends to take his own life through committing seppuku.

The intensity here is strong enough that Harakiri is a challenging film at times, but it’s engrossing so long as you're okay with one of the darkest samurai-themed movies ever made. Part of the reason it’s here is also that it’s the highest-rated film on Letterboxd, so it might have some broad appeal, among those who’ve given it a shot, at least.

4 'The Tale of Zatoichi' (1962)

Image via Dalei Studios

Like with Godzilla (1954), The Tale of Zatoichi kicked off a massive film series that spanned more than two-dozen feature-length entries, plus an accompanying TV series, all starring Shintarō Katsu in the titular role. It serves as a great introduction to Zatoichi overall, and is probably a more accurate mood-setter than Godzilla (1954), though like that first film compared to its respective series, The Tale of Zatoichi is perhaps one of the heavier Zatoichi films.

But it’s not overly heavy, since there’s entertainment value to be found here, even if you're not particularly familiar with samurai movies. It’s the kind of samurai film that might well make you a fan of the sub-genre going forward, and there’s a little more action and heroism here than was found in Harakiri, a different kind of samurai film that nonetheless came out the same year.

3 'High and Low' (1963)

Toshirō Mifune as Kingo Gondo sitting solemnly while his cast mates watch in High and LowImage via Toho

After Seven Samurai and Ran, High and Low is probably the best Akira Kurosawa film, and it doesn’t feel like a stretch to say it’s the greatest film of his not set during historical times. It’s about a wealthy shoe executive who’s close to amassing a large amount of wealth, but he’s put his current money on the line to achieve that, and so he gets challenged morally when a kidnapping/extortion attempt goes wrong, and his chauffeur’s son is snatched instead of his own.

The criminal goes through with the blackmail anyway, and there’s a whole race against time for both the life of the kid and the executive’s future. Plus, High and Low goes to some more places that you might not expect, but unfolds incredibly well, and in a way that still feels surprising and undeniably effective as a mystery/thriller film. It really doesn’t feel like it was made more than 60 years ago.

2 'Onibaba' (1964)

The Mother In Law staring at Hachi in OnibabaImage via Janus Films

There are plenty of more recent Japanese horror movies that are recognized as modern classics, or maybe just classics at this point, but even compared to them, Onibaba is still great (not to mention one of the most frightening). It’s about a mother and her daughter-in-law turning to desperate measures to survive while the son/husband is off fighting, but then consequences neither foresaw keep building and intensifying.

It starts out almost like a historical crime film, but then gets more horror-focused as it goes along, working as both psychological and folk horror, if you want to get a little more specific with citing sub-genres. Onibaba is pretty bold content-wise for a film of its age, but that’s one of the things that ensures it holds up and still feels scary about 60 years on from its release.

1 'Outlaw: Gangster VIP' (1968)

Image via Nikkatsu

Falling just within the bounds of “classic Japanese cinema” as defined earlier, Outlaw: Gangster VIP is one of the very best Yakuza movies ever made, and it’s a bit easier to tackle than the great, but dizzying, films in the Battles Without Honor and Humanity series. Also, that series began – and had most of its entries come out – in the 1970s, so it’s a little out of bounds of this particular list.

The story here is mostly focused on just one individual: a young man who wants to break free of the Yakuza life, but finds that’s easier said than done. It’s familiar territory for the crime genre, but Outlaw: Gangster VIP tackles the well-worn premise expertly, and it also has some pretty intense action alongside the more expected crime/thriller stuff, genre-wise. It’s well-paced, doesn’t waste much time (at just 94 minutes), and still hits pretty hard for a crime movie of its age.

Like Follow Followed Outlaw: Gangster VIP Action Crime Thriller Release Date January 13, 1968 Runtime 94 minutes Director Toshio Masuda Writers Reiji Kubota, Kaneo Ikegami, Goro Fujita

Cast

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Tetsuya Watari Goro Fujikawa
Chieko Matsubara Yukiko Hashimoto
Mitsuo Hamada Takeo Tsujikawa
Tamio Kawachi Isamu Tsujikawa

Genres Action, Crime, Thriller Powered by

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Movie
Godzilla
Yojimbo

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