Iconic auteur Akira Kurosawa's indisputably epic masterpiece SEVEN SAMURAI returns to the Rio Theatre's long weekend calendar on Monday, August 7.

A landmark film in Japanese cinema due to its creative and technical achievements, Seven Samurai has consistently ranked high among both film critics and movie lovers - its influence as both a historical drama and for its phenomenal action sequences as relevant today as upon its initial release in 1954. (It was adapted by Hollywood with western The Magnificent Seven in 1960.) Kurosawa co-wrote, edited, and directed this simple tale set in rural Japan in the late 1500s, and follows a veteran samurai recruited by a farming village to protect them from bandits. In turn, the warrior hires six "ronin" (masterless samurai) to help him in exchange for food (and some useful training). The film culminates in a famous, epic battle scene - best appreciated on the big screen! Starring Toshirô Mifune, Takashi Shimura, and Keiko Tsushima.

"The greatest movie ever made about warriors and battle." (Chicago Sun-Times)

"Again and again, Kurosawa sends a dark thrill through his audience with a touch of sensuous physical reality." (Time Magazine)

Monday, August 7
Doors 3:45 pm | Movie 4:15 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.
*Please note: This film screens with a brief intermission.

SEVEN SAMURAI "Shichinin no Samurai" (Akira Kurosawa, 1954 / 207 mins / PG / Japanese with English subs) After he falls on hard times, a veteran samurai answers a village's request for protection from bandits. The samurai gathers six others to help him teach the people how to defend themselves, and in exchange the villagers provide the soldiers with food. A giant battle occurs when 40 bandits attack the village.

*Minors OK. Must be 19+ w/ID for bar service.
*Rio Theatre Groupons and Rio Theatre passes are OK for any single film screening only. Please redeem at the box office.
*Online sales end an hour before showtime; unless otherwise noted, tickets are always available for purchase at the box office prior to showtime. Our box office is typically open 30 minutes before showtime. All seating is General Admission; please arrive 20-30 minutes prior to showtime to ensure great seats and time for treats. All Rio Theatre tickets are final sale.
*If you are looking to redeem either a Rio Theatre gift certificate or Groupon to any regular Rio Theatre screening: You can either email us in advance and give us a “heads up,” or do it at the box office prior to showtime. (We seat 400+ people and our regular screenings are very rarely at capacity – you should not have issues being admitted.)