For his latest film “Highest 2 Lowest,” Spike Lee has turned to one of his influences, and one of cinema's most iconic filmmakers, Akira Kurosawa, remaking his 1963 film “High and Low.” Kurosawa’s films have been remade almost as long as he’s been making movies, so “Highest 2 Lowest” enters a pantheon of Kurosawa remakes that go back seven decades. Here are some of the best, where to stream them, and how to watch the originals too.

Kurosawa’s iconic 1954 film “Seven Samurai” is easily his most remade film — at this point, it’s almost a meme to remake “Seven Samurai.” It’s the story of a village that hires a group of samurai to protect them from bandits that steal their harvest. Stream it on HBO Max or the Criterion Channel.

Just six years later, in 1960, John Sturges remade “Seven Samurai” into the Western “The Magnificent Seven,” starring Yul Brynner, Steve McQueen, Charles Bronson, James Coburn and more, as a group of gunfighters hired to protect a village from bandits led by Eli Wallach. That film is available to stream on Prime Video, The Roku Channel, Tubi, and MGM+. In 2016, Antoine Fuqua remade the film starring Denzel Washington, Chris Pratt, Ethan Hawke and more. Stream that version on Prime Video and MGM+.

Roger Corman put his own version of “Seven Samurai” out into the world with his 1980 space opera “Battle Beyond the Stars,” directed by Jimmy T. Murakami, a sci-fi “Seven Samurai” set in space. John Sayles wrote the script, while a young James Cameron was getting his foot in the door in Hollywood doing the special effects. Stream “Battle Beyond the Stars” on Prime Video, The Roku Channel, and Tubi.

And while there are many, many more “Seven Samurai” remakes and references in movie and TV history, one other notable instance is Season 1, Episode 4, of the “Star Wars” spinoff series “The Mandalorian,” directed by Bryce Dallas Howard, “Chapter 4: Sanctuary,” in which the Mandalorian teams up with an ex-soldier to protect a farming village. Stream it on Disney+

Kurosawa’s 1961 film “Yojimbo” has also been remade many times. Starring frequent collaborator Toshiro Mifune, who also starred in “Seven Samurai,” “Yojimbo” is the story of a ronin who arrives in a town where competing crime bosses both try to hire him as a bodyguard. Stream “Yojimbo” on HBO Max or the Criterion Channel.

“Yojimbo” was remade by Sergio Leone in 1964 for his spaghetti Western “A Fistful of Dollars” (an unauthorized remake, it resulted in a lawsuit from the Japanese film studio Toho). The film however, remains iconic as one of the first popular spaghetti Westerns in the United States, and stars Clint Eastwood in his first leading role. It’s also the start of the Man With No Name Trilogy, with “For a Few Dollars More” and “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly” following it up. Stream “A Fistful of Dollars” on The Roku Channel, Tubi, or rent it on other digital platforms.

In 1966, Sergio Corbucci made his own version of “A Fistful of Dollars,” with his spaghetti Western “Django,” starring Franco Nero in his breakout role, as a Union soldier who becomes a drifter and ends up in town that’s a neutral zone between conflicting factions. “Django” was also the start of Corbucci’s Mud and Blood trilogy, and the title has been referenced in over 30 sequels or homages, including Quentin Tarantino’s “Django Unchained.” Stream “Django” on Kanopy, Fandon, Darkroom, Midnight Pulp, or rent it elsewhere.

Walter Hill also remade “Yojimbo” with his 1996 film “Last Man Standing,” set in Prohibition-era Texas, starring Bruce Willis, Bruce Dern and Christopher Walken. Rent it on all platforms.

Kurosawa’s “Rashomon” (1950) is also incredibly influential for its unique storytelling structure, depicting one event from differing perspectives. Stream “Rashomon” on HBO Max or Criterion Channel, and then rent the 1964 Western remake “The Outrage,” directed by Martin Ritt.

For something a bit more introspective and less violent, Kurosawa’s “Ikiru” (1952) depicts the story of a terminally ill businessman who embarks on a final quest for meaning. The film was remade in 2022 by Oliver Hermanus with “Living” starring Bill Nighy, which earned him an Oscar nomination. Stream “Ikiru on HBO Max, the Criterion Channel or Kanopy, and stream “Living” on Hulu.

———

©2025 Tribune Content Agency, LLC