Samurai films, like westerns, need not be familiar genre stories. They can expand to contain stories of ethical challenges and human tragedy.

The buried code of many American films has become: If I kill you, I have won and you have lost. The instinctive ethical code of traditional Hollywood, the code by which characters like James Stewart, John Wayne and Henry Fonda lived, has been lost.

Every great film should seem new every time you see it."
Roger Ebert

Life is made up of challenges that cannot be solved but only accepted.

[If you like little films about birds you might also consider] The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill. ... could be a surprise underground hit, because it is so warm and moving.

Why has Scandinavia been producing such good thrillers? Maybe because their filmmakers can't afford millions for CGI and must rely on cheaper elements like, you know, stories and characters.