A comparison can be made between Japan’s jidaigeki and the
Western genre. While the cultures and settings are very different, they
both show their societies in a former time, with the costumes of their
respective eras, and often violent situations where people take the law
into their own hands. The weapon of choice of the ronin is the sword, while the characteristic weapon of the cowboy is the 6-shot revolver.
Japan’s most famous and respected movie director of all time is Akira
Kurosawa (1910-1998). Some of his most well-known movies were jidaigeki, including “Seven Samurai” (1954) and “Yojimbo” (1961). Both of these were remade into Westerns – “The Magnificent Seven” (1960) and “A Fistful of Dollars” (1964).
Compare for yourself:
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966) - final gunfight scene
Seven Samurai (1954) - swordsman clip; sorry, you have to watch the advertisement first!
The Unforgiven (1992) - trailer; starring Clint Eastwood & Morgan Freeman
Yurusarezaru Mono (許されざる者, 2013) - trailer; starring Ken Watanabe
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