Cast and Crew:    John Sayles (Co-Writer); Roger Corman (Executive Producer); James Horner (Score); James Cameron (Art Direction); Robert Vaughn, George Peppard, Darlanne Fluegel, Sybil Danning, Sam Jaffe, Jeff Corey

What It’s About: Shad (Richard Thomas) gathers seven mercenaries to defend his peaceful farm planet from Sador (John Saxon) and his army.

Why Watch it Today?:  The Seven Samurai was released today in 1954.  In addition to the famous Western remake, The Magnificent Seven, the basic story has formed the template for innumerable rip-offs and riffs, but Roger Corman’s Space Western which attempted to cash-in on the success of Star Wars has to be one of the most unusual.  It’s also a heck of a lot of fun, featuring early work from James Cameron, James Horner, and John Sayles as well as a great cast of B-movie good and bad guys.