Samurai movies are some of Japan's best cinematic exports, and there are a ton of classic and modern samurai films available on streaming today. Ripped straight from Japan's extensive history, the samurai cinematic genre kicked into high gear in the wake of WWII. Typically set during the Edo period, filmmakers have over 200 years of history to play around with.

Though earlier examples of the genre were dramatic, they quickly became exciting action films as more and more swordplay entered the equation. Filmmakers like Akira Kurosawa are synonymous with samurai cinema, and Kurosawa specifically elevated samurai films to a new artistic level. Like other genres, clichés abound in samurai films, and most involve vengeful rōnin and evil feudal lords.

Though the emphasis is often on action,

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