★★★★ Watched 08 Jun, 2022

The directorial debut of legendary Japanese director Akira Kurosawa that inspired a new generation of Hollywood filmmakers like Francis Ford Coppola, George Lucas, and Steven Spielberg.

Under a simple story of a man looking to improve his martial art is a peaceful and thoughtful way of looking at life after understanding the actual teachings of mastering your body and mind.

Fighting scenes are a bit crude for today’s standards, but in the hands of a legendary director hold the dramatic tension. There’s still an evident theater play approach to his filmmaking which makes staging very effective while the weather reflects the state of a character’s soul.

Showing a lot of promise already this early in the director’s career.

Source: Letterboxd
Info: IMDb