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Explore The Legend of Toshiro Mifune

By  · Published on November 22nd, 2016

Last week, legendary actor Toshiro Mifune was finally enshrined on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. And in our opinion, it’s recognition that’s decades too late, as Mifune has long been one of the most enduring on-screen presences in the history of cinema.

Today, we’re celebrating Mifune’s legacy – and the release of the new documentary Mifune: The Last Samurai – with a closer look at his career, his partnership with Akira Kurosawa, and his work outside the samurai genre. We’ve gathered together some of our favorite film lovers to tell his story like you’ve never seen before.

We’re also doing this with the help of the folks at FilmStruck, who are our sponsor for this feature, but are also the best streaming service for discovering Mifune’s many roles. As the exclusive streaming home of The Criterion Collection, they’ve got many of the films we’re going to talk about today in their collection – everything from Throne of Blood to Yojimbo to High and Low, Seven Samurai and so many more. Once you’re done reading about Mifune’s work, click here to start your free 14-day trial.

Join us in celebrating the career of the great Toshiro Mifune via the six articles below.

Why Would You Name Your Son Toshiro?

By Drew McWeeny: Ever wonder why acclaimed film blogger Drew McWeeny named his firstborn son Toshiro? There’s a lot more to it than the fact that it’s cool.

Mifune vs. Marvin: Hell in the Pacific

By Brad Gullickson: Toshiro Mifune faced many foes in his day, but Lee Marvin may have been his most fierce in this 1968 World War II drama.

Laying Down The Sword: Mifune’s Non-Samurai Films

By Max Covill: How High and Low, Bad Sleep Well, Stray Dog, and others prove that Mifune was far more than just another samurai.

Capturing The Last Samurai

By Christopher Campbell: We talk to Academy Award-winning documentarian Steve Okazaki about his new film, Mifune: The Last Samurai.

The Essential Samurai Films of Toshiro Mifune

By Adam Charles: Best known for his collaborations with Akira Kurosawa, Mifune’s samurai films defined the notion of the action star long before there was such a thing. We walk you through his most iconic roles.

Mifune’s Great Stunts

By H. Perry Horton: Beyond his charismatic presence, Toshiro Mifune was also a physical force the likes of which cinema had not previously seen. We explore his forceful action work and all of the stunt work he did himself.

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Neil Miller is the persistently-bearded Publisher of Film School Rejects, Nonfics, and One Perfect Shot. He's also the Executive Producer of the One Perfect Shot TV show (currently streaming on HBO Max) and the co-host of Trial By Content on The Ringer Podcast Network. He can be found on Twitter here: @rejects (He/Him)