The image of the lone hero, marked by a violent past and bound by honour, has exerted an endless fascination on film audiences the world over. Popularised and perfected by one of the greatest auteurs in the history of cinema, Akira Kurosawa, the themes of the samurai film have consistently crossed over into mainstream Western cinema (consider The Last Samurai and Kill Bill series). Long regarded as one of the world's most astute film analysts, Alain Silver deconstructs the key aspects of the genre the significance of themes, and provides a comprehensive filmography.