Mifune: The Last Samurai

Steven Okazaki's 2016 documentary covers the life of Toshirō Mifune and his place in the golden age of Japanese cinema. Mifune came to acting almost by accident after the war, worked with Akira Kurosawa on sixteen films, and that partnership carried both men to international fame. The documentary describes how the relationship was built and why it later broke, a break neither man ever explained. Actors and crew who worked with Mifune speak, and one section summarises the tradition of prewar Japanese sword films. The time Mifune spent in the air force during the war and how it marked his acting is the most striking part. Keanu Reeves narrates. The film offers no deep analysis and works more as a general introduction. Who it's for: people new to Japanese cinema and the films of Kurosawa. Who it's not for: anyone who knows the subject; the documentary adds little.