Its not an inappropriate comparison.
Though, it may be more apt to compare the show to Japans Chanbara or samurai films.
GivenShoguns intensity and cliffhangers, waiting a week between episodes is excruciating.
Digging back intoGame of Thronesor evenHouse of the Dragonmight not scratch thatShogunitch in the long days between installments.
To test and assess his troops, he arranges a marathon race with a huge prize.
All the while, theyre running and running and running.
Lady Snowblood (1973)
Often overlooked,Lady Snowbloodis an influential film undeniably ahead of its time.
(Its influence on theKill Billmovies will be instantly apparent.)
Lady Snowbloodis a blood-soaked revenge flick about a woman forced to carry her mothers wrath.
Its set in a more modern era but plays in the same sandbox as other samurai films.
13 Assassins (2010)
Takashi Miike is one of Japans great modern filmmakers.
Hes prolific in a way that makes the word prolific hyperbolic when applied to other directors.
The group clears a village of residents and plots an ambush withHome Alone-esque panache.
Its 13 against hundreds.
The results are riveting and horrifying.
Not only is Mifune a legend, but he also played Lord Toranaga in the original 1980Shogunminiseries.
The ronin was a philosopher and, more importantly for this story, an unparalleled duelist.
He travels the countryside as an assassin with his infant son in tow.
At the same time, a lost love from childhood reenters his life.
The contemplative character study sheds the romanticism of many samurai films in favor of realism.
Seibei wants nothing more than to hang up his sword and find a better way to live.
Seven Samurai (1954)
Where else could this end?
Anyone who hasnt seen Akira KurosawasSeven Samuraihas undoubtedly been told it is a must-see.
The reason is simple: Its a must-see.
This is arguably the pinnacle of Kurosawas genre-defining samurai films.
(Ikiru, Godzilla, Kagemusha, Stray Dog,et al.)
Others worth digging up:This is by no means an exhaustive or best of list for samurai movies.
