1. The Lower Depths (どん底)
Residents of a rundown boardinghouse in 19th-century Japan, including a mysterious old man and an aging actor, get drawn into a love triangle that turns violent. When amoral thief Sutekichi breaks off his affair with landlady Osugi to romance her younger sister, Okayo, Osugi extracts her revenge by revealing her infidelity to her jealous husband.
It has an average vote of 7.102 on TMDB.
2. Grim (Grim)
"With this work, I developed/fleshed out the idea I had when making GHOST of peeling only the skin from various objects in the room, floating the skins in midair and then sticking them on different objects. This film was also shot entirely frame-by-frame with long-exposures. Along with GRIM, its meaning is 'as if to do forever.'" - Takashi Ito
It has an average vote of 6.5 on TMDB.
3. The Secret Partner
A shipping tycoon with a record becomes a suspect when money goes missing from the company vault.
It has an average vote of 5.8 on TMDB.
4. Samurai Saga (或る剣豪の生涯)
Edmund Rostand's play Cyrano de Bergerac, transplanted to Japan. A poet-warrior with an oversized nose loves a lady. But she sees him only as a friend, so he helps another man to woo her by giving him the poetry of his own heart.
It has an average vote of 6.7 on TMDB.
5. The Mad Ghoul
A university chemistry professor experiments with an ancient Mayan gas on a medical student, turning the would-be surgeon into a murdering ghoul as part of a plan to steal his lover.
It has an average vote of 6.1 on TMDB.
6. The Chess Players (शतरंज के खिलाड़ी)
It is the year 1856. Nawab Wajid Ali Shah is the king of Awadh, one of the last independent kingdoms of India. The British colonialists, intent on controlling this rich land, have sent general Outram on a secret mission to clear the way for an annexation. Pressure is mounting amidst intrigue and political manoeuvres, but the Nawab whiles away his time in pursuit of pleasure and religious practice. The court is of no help either—Court nobles Mir and Mirza, ignoring the situation of their country and all their duties towards their families, spend their days playing endless games of chess. The film is based on Munshi Premchand's short story of the same name.
It has an average vote of 7.1 on TMDB.
7. The Men Who Tread on the Tiger's Tail (虎の尾を踏む男達)
Yoshitsune Minamoto, disguised with his retinue as monks, must make do with a comical porter as their guide through hostile territory en route to safety.
It has an average vote of 6.728 on TMDB.
8. The Dinner (La cena)
An evening at an Italian restaurant. Hosted by tolerant and relaxed Flora, various parties of middle-class people come in -- large and small, young and old, regulars and tourists, married and single -- to dine, converse, argue, celebrate, make confessions; to overhear other people's discussions, to interrupt them, to sing, listen to music, and enjoy life. The camera, just like the people, moves constantly from table to table, into the kitchen and the back room to observe the staff's petty jealousies and frustrations -- until two hours later it's time for everybody to go home.
It has an average vote of 6.9 on TMDB.
9. The Hidden Fortress (隠し砦の三悪人)
In feudal Japan, during a bloody war between clans, two cowardly and greedy peasants, soldiers of a defeated army, stumble upon a mysterious man who guides them to a fortress hidden in the mountains.
It has an average vote of 7.953 on TMDB.
10. I Live in Fear (生きものの記録)
Kiichi Nakajima, an elderly foundry owner, is convinced that Japan will be affected by an imminent nuclear war, and resolves to move his family to safety in Brazil. His family decides to have him ruled incompetent and Dr. Harada, a Domestic Court counselor, attempts to arbitrate.
It has an average vote of 7.269 on TMDB.
11. Pale Flower (乾いた花)
A gangster gets released from prison and has to cope with the recent shifts of power between the gangs, while taking care of a thrill-seeking young woman, who got in bad company while gambling.
It has an average vote of 7.333 on TMDB.
12. Stray Dog (野良犬)
A bad day gets worse for young detective Murakami when a pickpocket steals his gun on a hot, crowded bus. Desperate to right the wrong, he goes undercover, scavenging Tokyo’s sweltering streets for the stray dog whose desperation has led him to a life of crime. With each step, cop and criminal’s lives become more intertwined and the investigation becomes an examination of Murakami’s own dark side.
It has an average vote of 7.5 on TMDB.
13. Red Beard (赤ひげ)
Aspiring to an easy job as personal physician to a wealthy family, Noboru Yasumoto is disappointed when his first post after medical school takes him to a small country clinic under the gruff doctor Red Beard. Yasumoto rebels in numerous ways, but Red Beard proves a wise and patient teacher. He gradually introduces his student to the unglamorous side of the profession, ultimately assigning him to care for a prostitute rescued from a local brothel.
It has an average vote of 8.09 on TMDB.
14. Happiness (Le Bonheur)
A young husband and father, perfectly content with his life, falls in love with another woman.
It has an average vote of 7.469 on TMDB.
15. Tangerines (Mandariinid)
War in Abkhazia, 1992. An Estonian man Ivo has stayed behind to harvest his crops of tangerines. In a bloody conflict at his door, a wounded man is left behind, and Ivo is forced to take him in.
It has an average vote of 7.675 on TMDB.
16. Sanjuro (椿三十郎)
Toshiro Mifune swaggers and snarls to brilliant comic effect in Kurosawa's tightly paced, beautifully composed "Sanjuro." In this companion piece and sequel to "Yojimbo," jaded samurai Sanjuro helps an idealistic group of young warriors weed out their clan's evil influences, and in the process turns their image of a proper samurai on its ear.
It has an average vote of 7.95 on TMDB.
17. Natale a New York (Natale a New York)
During the holidays of Christmas, three groups of funny characters depart from Italy to spend the Christmas season in New York City.
It has an average vote of 5 on TMDB.
18. Tora! Tora! Tora!
In the summer of 1941, the United States and Japan seem on the brink of war after constant embargos and failed diplomacy come to no end. "Tora! Tora! Tora!", named after the code words use by the lead Japanese pilot to indicate they had surprised the Americans, covers the days leading up to the attack on Pearl Harbor, which plunged America into the Second World War.
It has an average vote of 7.167 on TMDB.
19. Taste of Cherry (طعم گيلاس)
A middle-aged Tehranian man, Mr. Badii is intent on killing himself and seeks someone to bury him after his demise. Driving around the city, the seemingly well-to-do Badii meets with numerous people, including a Muslim student, asking them to take on the job, but initially he has little luck. Eventually, Badii finds a man who is up for the task because he needs the money, but his new associate soon tries to talk him out of committing suicide.
It has an average vote of 7.659 on TMDB.
20. Joint Security Area (공동경비구역 JSA)
Two North Korean soldiers are killed in the border area between North and South Korea, prompting an investigation by a neutral body. The sergeant is the shooter, but the lead investigator, a Swiss-Korean woman, receives differing accounts from the two sides.
It has an average vote of 7.843 on TMDB.
