Wow. Only once in its more than 3 hours did I find myself thinking “this scene is dragging on” as I watched Kurosawa’s classic. You would expect a film with a military theme to explore courage, sacrifice and discipline, and Seven Samurai certainly does. But what surprises are the other layers that weave through it: class struggle, forgiveness, trust. Even a coming of age story.

I found myself captivated by the intimate portrayal of the small farming village that feels helpless to defend itself. Nearby bandits have promised to return at the end of summer to once again take their fill, leaving the farmers without enough food for their own basic needs.

Seven Samurai transports you to the Warring States period of Japanese history, when hired swords wander the streets of every town, offering some protection from the brutality of the time. Perhaps, the villagers hope, they can get some samurai to defend them from the bandit attack, so they can live more comfortably for at least the coming year.

The film takes place in three main acts. In Act I, the villagers head to a nearby town to hire samurai, although they have no money. In Act II, we return to the village, and see the preparations for the attack. In Act III, the battle ensues, and we are left understanding the true nature of what has passed.

From the start, the grainy black and white print along with the evocative recreation of the dusty roads and villages of the time instantly transport you into the milieu. The exaggerated downtrodden expressions on the farmers faces, are an artistry of their own. I found myself reminded of the sometimes caricatured nature of Japanese woodblock prints as they cower and cringe at the futility and desperation of the situation they find themselves in.

The seven samurai of the title are eventually procured, but this is no simple commercial transaction. It is through this process that we start to understand the characters that have taken on this task. Each who joins the effort has a different motivation: mentoring, companionship, and a simple sense of purpose, as well as honor and loyalty. The stage is set to explore the trust that will be needed if samurai and farmer are to succeed in the undertaking.

It is during the preparations to defend the village that this trust is tested, old secrets threaten to unravel the arrangement, and the unique value brought by one of the seven is discovered: a farmer’s son whose with his earthy nature breaks down the barriers between the two groups. During this time the experienced leader of the samurai manages the meticulous preparations required, and the most junior of the samurai becomes entranced with one of the farmer’s daughters, despite efforts to keep her hidden.

The main battle eventually unfolds. The well-drilled villagers are of course still afraid, and the seven must draw on their varied skills to keep the bandits from overrunning the village. Over more than a day, many heroic actions are needed despite the clever plan that has been put in place. Despite the clear value he has brought to the preparations and to the defense, the farmer’s son innate fear of inferiority to the true samurai leads him to make a choice with tragic consequences.

As the movie closes, we see the farmers tending their fields with the diligent purpose that such manual labor requires. They have moved on, because they must. The collective and individual gratitude and in some cases adoration for the samurai in the face of possible annihilation is now replaced by the comfort of familiar routine. The surviving samurai themselves must now find their sense of purpose elsewhere.