Hideo Kojima names his favourite movie of all time
Legendary video game designer Hideo Kojima might be best known for his contributions to the world of consoles, but anyone who’s played Metal Gear Solid, Snatcher, Zone of the Enders, or Death Stranding knows that his influences extend well into the cinematic, so it’s no surprise that his taste leans towards the kinetic, propulsive, and explosive side of filmmaking.
Taste and personal preference is something that constantly evolves over time, so while Kojima did previously name his five favourite movies, it’s one that went unmentioned before that has been named by the man himself as his undisputed number one.
Whereas he’d outlined in the past how watching Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey for the first time had left him feeling “like I really went to outer space” and the “immense similarity between the character and myself” he experienced upon discovering Martin Scorsese’s Taxi Driver and the exhaust-inhaling mania of “ultimate mentor” George Miller’s The Road Warrior.
Kojima also cites his appreciation of Akira Kurosawa’s High and Low “because it’s a little different” and the way in which Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner struck him as “something that’s really indigestible in the beginning and stays in me”. However, it is the work of another icon that dislodged them all to reach Kojima’s summit.
Outlining his intentions for a revisit on social media while also decreeing it as his “favourite film”, Kojima couldn’t speak highly enough of Steven Spielberg’s 1971 debut Duel. The energetic action thriller heralded the arrival of a brand new talent onto the scene, one who would swiftly establish themselves as one of the finest directors to ever step behind the camera.
Not only is Kojima an unabashed fan of Spielberg, but he also reveals Richard Matheson – who authored the original short story and penned the adaptation – to be a “favourite” as well: “Tonight, I will rewatch my favourite film, DUEL written by my favourite Richard Matheson and directed by the young genius Spielberg, who completed filming in 13 days. which was shot in 13 days. No matter how many times I watch it, I still learn a lot about directing, editing, and sound effects.”
Featuring several techniques that would eventually go on to become hallmarks of Spielberg’s distinctive style, the made-for-television film initially screened as part of the ABC Movie of the Week series proved so popular that it was awarded a theatrical release that added 16 minutes of brand new footage, which would quickly snowball into the movie that changed cinema forever.
In a conversation with Edgar Wright, Spielberg reasoned that “Duel is basically Jaws on land”, so when he went to producers to pitch himself as the ideal director for what became the highest-grossing hit ever made when it swam into cinemas in the summer of 1975, he urged producers Richard D. Zanuck and David Brown to “please watch Duel“.
As well as his belief that “I really think it qualified me to direct Jaws“, Duel also had a significant impact on Kojima, to the extent that the 60-year-old has officially anointed it as his favourite movie of all time.
