In the late feudal era of Japan, a young ninja is operating undercover in the court of an aging lord during a peaceful era of Japan that is on the brink of change. After the lord challenges his lazy samurais to a punishing marathon to toughen them up, the ninja finds his loyalties put to the test. Facing impossible odds, this unusual band of characters is running a race to win or die.

A grand-scale adventure as only Akira Kurosawa could make one. A general charged with guarding his defeated clan's princess as the two smuggle royal treasure across hostile territory. Accompanying them are a pair of bumbling, conniving peasants who may or may not be their friends. This rip-roaring ride is among the director's most beloved films and was a primary influence on George Lucas's Star Wars. Delivers Kurosawa's trademark deft blend of wry...

"Jim Jarmusch combined his love for the ice-cold crime dramas of Jean-Pierre Melville and Seijun Suzuki with the philosophical dimensions of samurai mythology for an eccentrically post-modern take on the hit-man thriller. In one of his defining roles, Forest Whitaker brings a commanding serenity to his portrayal of a Zen contract killer working for a bumbling mob outfit, a modern man who adheres steadfastly to the ideals of the Japanese warrior code...

"While fishing for freshwater eels, Chibi Usagi, Tomoe, and Gen rescue a Dogu, a clay creature from Japan's prehistory. The Dogu's village has been enslaved by the Salamander King and his Heebie-Chibi minions and are forced to work in their mines. Chibi Usagi and his friends must rescue the Dogu people and eliminate the threat of the Salamander King forever in this feature-length story of adventure, humor, and slippery eels"--