New documentary tells the story of the men that made Darth Vader a samurai and Clint Eastwood a fistful of dollars

Strand Releasing has revealed the trailer for the new documentary Mifune: The Last Samurai, a new film by Oscar-winning filmmaker Steven Okazaki. The film explores the early life and accidental movie career of charismatic tough guy Toshiro Mifune, one of the true giants of world cinema and favorite go to actor for legendary filmmaker Akira Kurosawa (The Hidden Fortress, Seven Samurai, Yojimbo, Rashomon).

Mifune made 16 films with Kurosawa during the Golden Age of Japanese Cinema, including Rashomon, Seven Samurai and Yojimbo. Together they thrilled audiences and influenced filmmaking around the world, providing direct inspiration for not only The Magnificent Seven and Sergio Leone & Clint Eastwood’s breakthrough, A Fistful of Dollars, but also George Lucas’ Star Wars.

Mifune: The Last Samurai is narrated by Keanu Reeves and includes interviews with Steven Spielberg, Martin Scorsese, Teruyo Nogami (Kurosawa’s longtime script supervisor), Kyoko Kagawa (Red Beard), Yoshio Tsuchiya (Seven Samurai), Takeshi Kato (Throne of Blood), Yoko Tsukasa (Yojimbo) and many more. The Last Samurai opens theatrically on Friday, November 25th, 2016 in New York City at IFC Center
with additional cities including Los Angeles (December 2nd) and San Francisco (December 9th), along with a wider national release to follow.

Check out the new trailer, along with the latest poster for Mifune: The Last Samurai, below.