Hideo Kojima names his favourite Japanese movies of all time
It’s not often that we talk about some of the greatest minds in video games, but then again, it’s not often that a mind that Hideo Kojima graces the industry. An iconic video game designer known for creating such classics as Metal Gear Solid and Death Stranding, Kojima is also a self-confessed movie nerd, having long been inspired by films from such directors as Stanley Kubrick, Martin Scorsese and Akira Kurosawa.
Back in 2022, the video game icon revealed his all-time favourite movies, naming such picks as George Miller’s post-apocalyptic classic Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior as well as Kubrick’s much-adored sci-fi masterpiece 2001: A Space Odyssey. In addition, he also named Scorsese’s Robert De Niro-led drama Taxi Driver and the seminal Harrison Ford flick Blade Runner.
When it comes to Japanese cinema, however, Kojima was quick to mention the Kurosawa movie High and Low, with the filmmaker further elaborating on his reasoning behind the pick in a recent interview with Criterion, where he stepped inside their beloved DVD and Blu-Ray closet.
“I love High and Low the most,” the director said of the film, “I was so shocked when I saw this, so I’d love for you to watch it”. The 1963 police procedural film is one of Kurosawa’s lesser-known movies, being far more recognised in the industry for such classic efforts as Yojimbo and Seven Samurai, with the latter going on to make a considerable impact on the shape of Hollywood cinema.
Elsewhere, Kojima had a lot to say regarding a lot of Japanese classics, praising the filmmaker Yasujirō Ozu, who is best known for his 1953 film Tokyo Story. Yet, the video game designer didn’t opt for Tokyo Story, instead choosing another movie named after the capital, 1957’s Tokyo Twilight, stating: “Ozu films are usually very light, but this one is really dark. I really like that about this film so I highly recommend it”.
Indeed, he mentions several of Ozu’s films from a Criterion collection of his movies, also naming 1949’s Late Spring .”Now, where there’s Akira Kurosawa, there’s Yasujirō Ozu,” he said of the filmmaker, suggesting that the latter doesn’t get the necessary amount of praise in comparison to the Seven Samurai director.
Another notable film Kojima picked out was the classic horror tale Kwaidan from director Masaki Kobayashi. Calling the film “my favourite” from the filmmaker, the movie follows several folk tales from the history of Japanese culture that explore creepy, supernatural themes. Indeed, we thought the film was so great that we included it on our list of the 50 greatest horror movies of all time.
Take a look at the full list of Hideo Kojima’s favourite Japanese movies below.
Hideo Kojima’s favourite Japanese movies:
- Harakiri (Masaki Kobayashi, 1962)
- High and Low (Akira Kurosawa, 1963)
- Jigoku (Nobuo Nakagawa, 1960)
- Kwaidan (Masaki Kobayashi, 1964)
- Late Spring (Yasujirō Ozu, 1949)
- Onibaba (Kaneto Shindo, 1964)
- Tokyo Twilight (Yasujirō Ozu, 1957)
- Ugetsu (Kenji Mizoguchi, 1953)
- Woman in the Dunes (Hiroshi Teshigahara, 1964)
