Akira Kurosawa is undoubtedly one of the most accomplished director of all time. His immense influence on the entirety of world cinema is nearly impossible to accurately quantify. My goal here today is not to convince you of the greatness of Kurosawa because a plethora of evidence already attests to this fact and any more discussion on the topic would be entirely unnecessary and redundant. The true nature of my goal is one of an arduous nature, in which I am attempting to do what is seemingly impossible: rank the top ten films of Akira Kurosawa.

1. Seven Samurai

Although I mentioned the sheer difficulty of my task, this particular selection was incredibly easy. "Seven Samurai" is widely regarded to be one of the finest films ever made and also, inspired numerous adaptations and remakes including "The Magnificent Seven" and " A Bug's Life." The classic film features seven samurai that find a renewed sense of purpose in defending a farming village from raids by bandits. While the film's plot is rather simple, it is nonetheless a tremendous cinematic achievement in storytelling. Of course, the impeccable performances by Takashi Shimura and Toshiro Mifune as Shimada Kambei and Kikuchuyo respectively, only help to further solidify the film's status as not only Kurosawa's magnum opus but perhaps one of the greatest movies ever made.

2. The Bad Sleep Well

This film is, by far, Kurosawa's most innovative adaptation of Shakespeare's work. Derived from "Hamlet," the film reimagines Shakespeare's classic by incorporating it into a business context. Thus, the themes of abusive power, revenge, and justice that were embedded in the play, manifest onto the big screen in way that is more appropriate for the times surrounding the film's creation. Like Shakespeare, Kurosawa knew how to blend meaning and serious artistic intentions with commercial aspects, which in this case makes for a highly entertaining and enjoyable film.

3. Rashomon

Responsible for Kurosawa's emergence upon the world stage, "Rashomon" has a decidedly darker tone than most of his other films. It focuses on the murder on the murder of a samurai in a forest and the subsequent attack of the samurai's wife. The film then cycles through the various viewpoints of those involved at a trial. The viewpoints include the perpetrator (a notorious bandit portrayed by Toshiro Mifune), the wife of the murdered samurai, the dead samurai via a medium, and a woodcutter that witnessed the events unfold. The court and those involved in the film are seemingly unable to discern what actually happened, as each party offers their own variations of the events with differing details. As the credits role, we, as viewers, begin to question the very nature of the truth that we perceive.

4. Yojimbo

Toshiro Mifune stars as the nameless mercenary that arrives into a town dominated by two rival gangs. Through manipulation and deception, the mercenary effectively accelerates the conflict between the rival gangs by offering his services to both sides at different points in time. The end results is an implosion of power, in which the forces of both sides are soundly defeated. The film was crucial in establishing the idea of cinema's first antihero. However, the impact of this particular film can be often be overshadowed by its western remake, which is "A Fistful of Dollars" starring Clint Eastwood.

5. High and Low

Another one of Kurosawa's films that are characterized by a darker, more somber tone. A highly entertaining crime thriller that tells the story of the kidnapping of a boy that was mistaken to be the son of a wealthy executive. Like other films, Kurosawa is seamlessly able to intertwine deep meaning without sacrificing entertainment value. Kurosawa forces us to reflect on the values that drive us, regardless of our situation, and on the things that we attribute the greatest meaning to.

6. Ran

The greatness of "Ran" is most evident in its beautiful cinematography and vivid imagery. Another of Kurosawa's Shakespeare adaptations, this time of "King Lear," it stars Tatsuya Nakadai as an old warlord, who, given his age and his increasing frailty, decides to distribute the kingdom to his three sons. The old warlord refuses to heed the cautious words of his youngest son and banishes him. The inevitable result is a bitter war waged between brothers, each trying to assert their will and domination over the other. The film offers a sharp critique of human nature and illustrates the great lengths mankind will go to satisfy their insatiable greed.

7. The Hidden Fortress

Ironically, the greatness of this Kurosawa masterpiece is perhaps readily apparent in the film series that it inspired, which is "Star Wars." George Lucas readily acknowledges the many similarities that exist between the "Star Wars" films and "The Hidden Fortress." Both of these films feature a virtually unstoppable empire and a fugitive princess that is trying to escape the empire's clutches and reestablish her authority. Interestingly, another major point of comparison is the inclusion of two comical side characters that appear throughout the entire story, which in the case of "Star Wars" would be R2D2 and C2PO. While this particular film's appearance on the list is due primarily to that it which it inspired, it is nonetheless a wonderfully crafted film.

8. Red Beard

"Red Beard" marks the final collaboration between Akira Kurosawa and Toshiro Mifune. Despite the depressing subject matter, the film does illustrate a more positive view of humanity that is relatively absent in some of Kurosawa's other works. The film centers around a health clinic, in which the doctor that runs the clinic, nicknamed Red Beard (Toshiro Mifune), attends to the health of the poor. At the beginning of the film, we are introduced to a young doctor, portrayed by Yuzo Kayama, who is at first disappointed that he was stationed at this health clinic and forced to administer to the needs of the poor and destitute rather than that of the nobility. However, throughout the course of the film the young doctor drastically transforms and dedicates his life to helping better the lives of others, regardless of their social standing. "Red Beard" is a truly magnificent film that attests to how compassionate man can truly be.

9. Throne of Blood

This film is another of Kurosawa's Shakespearean adaptation. The film, based on "Macbeth," depicts the truly destructive, chaotic consequences that greed causes, as well as demonstrating the methods man is willing to utilize to satisfy that greed. Unquestionably, the film features one of the most memorable ending scenes in all of Kurosawa's films, in which Toshiro Mifune, taking on the role of the Japanese Macbeth, is slain by a flurry of arrows from his own disillusioned men. The fact that the scene featured real arrows being fired only further validates the scene's epic nature.

10. Dersu Uzula

The last appearance on this list may indeed be surprising to those that are well aware of Kurosawa's films. Many films could indeed serve as a reasonable conclusion to this list. However, "Dersu Uzala," the story of a Russian explorer's encounter with the savagery of untamed lands and the friendship that cultivated with a native of that land, deserves more merit and consideration than what is normally ascribed to it. The film was co-produced by the Soviet Union, which in of itself is an intriguing factor. Adding to that the film was, of course, in Russian as opposed to Japanese. The true greatness of this film lies in the fact that Kurosawa was able to make another masterpiece without relying solely on the star power that is featured prominently in his films. Rather, he had to rely on his own artistic instincts, his immense creativity and his impeccable skill in storytelling to craft such a masterpiece. Thus, this is why I chose this film as the last film on the list because it is a one of the most evident testaments to the unrivaled greatness of Akira Kurosawa.