Kihachi Okamoto's Samurai Assassin (aka Samurai, 1965) starring Toshiro Mifune is one of the better examples of classic Japanese cinema...that wasn't directed by Akira Kurosawa. Starring one of Japan's most popular leading men, Toshiro Mifune (seen above), Samurai Assassin was released just prior to his final collaboration with Kurosawa, Red Beard. The basic storyline takes place during the course of just over two weeks---February 17 to March 3, 1860---and follows a group of assassins planning to kill a powerful government official. Right from the start, there's suspicion that one man in the group is a traitor...and all eyes point to Tsurochiyo Niiro (Mifune), a poor ronin who's looking to become a samurai. Also suspected as part of the plot is Einosuke Kurihara (Keiju Kobayashi, also appearing in The End of Summer and 47 Ronin), a wealthy samurai and friend to Niiro.