1954 Film Was Just Ranked the 'Most Perfect' Movie of the Last 75 Years

Hollywood has released its fair share of incredible films over the last 75 years. The publication Collider recently took on the nearly impossible task of narrowing down the 10 "most perfect" films made since 1951. The list included beloved classics like 1975's Jaws, The Godfather from 1972, Parasite, released in 2019, and Pan's Labyrinth from 2006.

The 1954 film Seven Samurai secured the spot of the number one most perfect film since 1951. According to Collider, the Akira Kurosawa-directed film can be considered a perfect movie because of its excellent pacing, compelling story, and sheer amount of thrills.

Not only is Seven Samurai, which has a score of 100 on Rotten Tomatoes, beloved by audiences and critics alike, it has also been quite influential among popular filmmakers. Directors Martin Scorsese, George Lucas, and Steven Spielberg have all shared their appreciation for Kurosawa and his works.

In a 1981 interview on The Dick Cavett Show, Kurosawa, who died in 1998 at the age of 88, shared that he was aware that many Western filmmakers adored his movies, which also included 1962's Sanjuro, Ikiru from 1952, and Dreams from 1990.

"I had heard something about it," quipped the Japanese filmmaker.

During the 1981 interview, Kurosawa discussed the violence in his movies, specifically Seven Samurai. He explained that his nature as a pacifist enabled him to depict unflinching, violent scenes.

"I, in fact, detest violence, perhaps because I detest it so much, it stays in my mind. And maybe that's why scenes such as the battle in Seven Samurai are easy for me to do," said the director.

While filming The Dick Cavett Show episode, Kurosawa also shared some insight on how the action scenes involving swords were filmed for Seven Samurai.

"In those scenes, we have bamboo swords that have silver painted on them, so it's not as dangerous as you would think. Although there have been injuries, there is no danger of someone being killed in that kind of sword fight," said Kurosawa.

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This story was originally published April 14, 2026 at 1:12 PM.