There are a shockingly high number of great samurai movies out there, with the best of the best naturally coming from Japan. What the Western does for cowboys, the samurai film does for the warriors of old who lived in Japan, principally from late in the 12th century until the 1870s. Samurai films don't just focus on these swordsmen, much like how Westerns don't solely focus on gunslingers, but they are usually important.

This ensures most samurai films also function as compelling action movies, with some emphasizing fight scenes more than others. Elsewhere, they also function as compelling historical dramas, with some being based on real-life figures from Japanese history. Samurai films show a unique code/way of life, and honor (or the lack thereof) within a once influential nobility, and the genre is represented best by the titles below, starting with the great and ending with the all-time greatest.

25 'The Betrayal' (1966)

Director: Tokuzō Tanaka

The Betrayal is a remarkably underrated movie within the samurai genre, seemingly overwhelmed by the various other releases in the 1960s, when the samurai film was at its peak in popularity. It follows a lone warrior who's increasingly betrayed and mistreated, with him gradually earning - often through no fault of his own - more and more enemies.

Everything builds to what would have to be one of the longest non-stop large-scale sword fights ever put on screen (it's comparable to the one at the end of the first Kill Bill; maybe even longer). Everything that comes before the final showdown is decent, but it's the gargantuan action set piece at the end that really makes The Betrayal worth seeking out.

The Betrayal is currently not available to stream, rent, or purchase in the U.S.

24 'Three Outlaw Samurai' (1964)

Director: Hideo Gosha

It's nice when a movie can explain a good deal of its premise from the title alone, which is the case for Three Outlaw Samurai. There is indeed a trio of samurai who don't play by the conventional rules, and find themselves fighting for a group of peasants who want their magistrate to lower their taxes.

It was one of many samurai movies directed by Hideo Gosha, and it's overall one of his best ones, thanks to its lean runtime of 93 minutes, which prevents it from getting bloated in the same way some of his later films are. It's good, direct, no-nonsense stuff, with solid action and simple yet compelling characters at its core. It's also safe to call Three Outlaw Samurai one of the more underrated samurai movies out there, given it's not as iconic as some of the other genre staples.

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23 'Sword of the Beast' (1965)

Director: Hideo Gosha

Speaking of Hideo Gosha, the filmmaker was also behind Sword of the Beast, which was another engaging samurai movie released just one year after Three Outlaw Samurai. It follows a samurai warrior who's exiled by his former comrades, and then finds himself wrapped up in a plot to steal a shogun's gold, which feels morally justified, given the extent to which he hoards it.

Even by samurai movie standards, a great deal of Sword of the Beast occurs outdoors, with fantastic-looking landscapes captured expertly in black and white. It has a good many moving parts for a movie that's only 85 minutes long, but it comes together well in the end, delivering satisfying drama and action.

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22 'The Hidden Fortress' (1958)

Director: Akira Kurosawa

Iconic filmmaker and avid film buff Akira Kurosawa made many films that fit either directly or partially within the samurai genre, The Hidden Fortress included. The plot here centers on a warrior and a princess in hiding, and the unlikely journey they go on with two peasants who stumble across them, desperate for work and/or a purpose.

As far as Kurosawa's movies go, it's one of the more light-hearted ones out there, and though it's not without its dramatic moments, it does also function as a sometimes comedic action/adventure movie. It's a great starting point for those who want to delve into the filmmaker's body of work, given its accessibility and the fact it's certainly not as long as some of his other classics. Additionally, The Hidden Fortress also has some noteworthy links to an iconic sci-fi series that began during the 1970s.

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21 'Fight, Zatoichi, Fight' (1964)

Director: Kenji Misumi