Review: Samurai films have fascinated generation after generation and it's still a prolific genre today, both in and away from its native soil. Unlike horror or kung fu films, the genre seems to be more accepted and taken more seriously not only by the general public but also by mainstream film critics. Akira Kurosawa, the man behind many Japanese samurai classics, is one of the major reasons for this worldwide popularity, but let’s not forget all of the other countless actors and directors who helped the genre become what it is today. Stray Dogs and Lone Wolves is not only an excellent compendium to the genre but also a tribute to the most important figures that have left their mark on cinema.

The books covers over 50 samurai film reviews and also includes 4 chapters on samurai history, the Japanese film industry, the key actors and directors, and a great glossary. The layout and structure of the book is very well done and easy to use. The first four chapters include indispensable information about these films. Knowing some basic Japanese historical background is really helpful and can really enhance the pleasure of viewing these films. Background historical information about the five most important movie studios is also given, and a full chapter is dedicated to the most important artists such as Akira Kurosawa, Shintaro Katsu, Tetsuro Tamba and many more.

Two thirds of the book is dedicated to Samurai film reviews. The reviews are classified by year, starting with the early fifties. Each review includes the year of production, director, cast info and also DVD availability. (Note that the DVD availability is not exactly accurate anymore since many of the hard to find movies will or already had a new DVD release not so long ago). Each review also comes with a few well identified pictures of the film. What is really great about these reviews is that they are not only well written and entertaining to read but they do not spoil the films… well at least the major points; a problem that shows up much too often in analytical movie books. Another interesting point of the book is that some reviews include a short Question and Answer section, easily located in a grey square. Have you ever wondered about the samurai hairdo, what the deal is with old women with black teeth or what's up with the Yagyu clan? You can find answer to these questions and much more in this book.

The only complaint I have is that if you are a big samurai movie fan, the catalogue of reviews listed might not look exceptional to you. If you already own or have had a chance to see most samurai films released by Criterion and AnimEigo, you've already seen most of the films reviewed in this book. However, the analytical point of view of Patrick, the small anecdotes, and the many cultural and background information snippets on each film makes the reading of each review very interesting. There is simply not one review that you will read and not learn something new about the film.

If you just saw the last Zatoichi and are now craving to see more, or you already own the full Kurosawa collection and nothing can impress you anymore, Stray Dogs and Lone Wolves is simply a must read. It will make your introduction to the genre much more fun and interesting or will simply give you the need to revisit these classics once more with newly acquired knowledge on samurai films.

Score : 5 / 5

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