I liked Azumi and it's sequel.
My favorite samurai films are probably not the typical action slasher but the YĆ“ji Yamada samurai trilogy films, starting with The Twilight Samurai. These films don't glorify the lifestyle of the samurai as in other movies but it shows their life as seen thru the bottom ranks of the hierchy. But that doesn't mean the characters can't be looked up to because it seems like these protagonists have a lot of integrity and courage. Just like Eastwood earlier films compare to the older samurai films these are more comparable to Eastwood's later films such as Unforgiven and Gran Torino.
The three films in this series are:
Twilight Samurai
The Hidden Blade
Love and Honor
I recommend spacing out your viewings because they are really similar to each other but special in their own ways. I'm waiting for them to be released in Bluray before I get them.
Of course not to mention all the good ol' standbys Kurosawa films.