Takashi Shimura · 1960s

4 Takashi Shimura movies from the 1960s on 4K Blu-ray, ranked S to D by transfer quality. 3 S-Tier picks including High and Low, Sanjuro.

Decade

All 10 1940s 1 1950s 5 1960s 4

Year

All 4 1960 0 1961 1 1962 1 1963 1 1964 1 1965 0 1966 0 1967 0 1968 0 1969 0

High and Low(1963)

8.4/10

dir. Akira Kurosawa

S-Tier

S-Tier Criterion 4K. Kurosawa's procedural thriller. The split-screen compositions look great.

Criterion Collection · 4K + Blu-ray

Sanjuro(1962)

8.0/10

dir. Akira Kurosawa

S-Tier

Criterion and BFI both released Yojimbo/Sanjuro in 4K, and the BFI version has Dolby Vision while the Japanese release is SDR. Packaging disappointed some collectors because BFI used a cardboard slip instead of a hardbox like Seven Samurai got. People want matching hardboxes for the whole Kurosawa 4K run, but space-conscious collectors are fine with slimmer packaging. The SDR debate matters here since the Criterion release also lacks HDR grading.

Criterion Collection · Two Samurai Films by Akira Kurosawa

Yojimbo(1961)

8.1/10

dir. Akira Kurosawa

S-Tier

A nameless ronin, or samurai with no master, enters a small village in feudal Japan where two rival businessmen are struggling for control of the local gambling trade. Taking the name Sanjuro Kuwabatake, the ronin convinces both silk merchant Tazaemon and sake merchant Tokuemon to hire him as a personal bodyguard, then artfully sets in motion a full-scale gang war between the two ambitious and unscrupulous men.

BFI · Two Films by Akira Kurosawa

Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster(1964)

6.5/10

dir. Ishirō Honda

After a meteorite unleashes a three-headed beast upon Tokyo, Mothra tries to unite with Godzilla and Rodan to battle the extraterrestrial threat.