by Ben Bateman

Japanese films run the gamut; from the classic, black and white films of legend Akira Kurosawa, to the insane, violent films of maverick Takashi Miike. Perhaps it is this enormous range, and the extremes to which it reaches, that has scared off the people who look out from the United States for films to import, but it is quite likely that these extremes are what film-goers in the U.S. are actually looking for.

Kurosawa and his films are one of the most well-known examples. George Lucas has acknowledged that Kurosawa's film The Hidden Fortress was a significant influence on the creation of Star Wars, especially the characters of C-3PO and R3-D2. Kurosawa's influence in the genre of "western" films was also significant, and his films Seven Samurai and Yojimbo have both been re-made as American westerns. But perhaps the most significant influence Kurosawa has had on American cinema, and western cinema in general, is with Rashomon. Although it has, of course, been remade as well, Rashomon has provided not only a great story of its own, but a powerful storytelling device that has been used countless times in American film, television, and entertainment in general.

Of course, Kurosawa is very much relevant not just as an influence, but as an incredible talent in the world of filmmaking. His movies are studied by film students, and shown as an integral part of film history. They continue to move audiences, even today. Rashomon, in particular, raises powerful questions about the nature of truth, reality, and perception in a way that is as relevant today as it was in 1950, when it was made.

Although Japanese films do not always make the journey across the ocean fully intact, American audiences have been watching them for years. The Magnificent Seven was one of the previously mentioned re-makes of Seven Samurai, for instance, and one of the most popular American horror films of the last decade, The Ring, was based on a Japanese horror film of the same name. Although it is unfortunate that these films only received acclaim after being re-made for an American audience, they do show that moviegoers in the United States are excited about what Japanese film has to offer.

So what is it that makes Japanese films so appealing? For lack of a better term, they are extreme, in every sense of the word. They show us a world that is larger than life, in a way that American films are too timid to do. From the blood-soaked moral conundrums of Azumi to warped, yet poignant, adolescence of Ping Pong, to the uncertain truths of Rashomon, Japanese films have a willingness to push the boundaries that the American film industry will not. The success of adaptations of Japanese films, and the growing popularity of anime, shows that American audiences want what only Japanese cinema can give them.