If there's a collapse, and you only have seven good soldiers...

I wonder if many of you have seen Seven Samurai? The old Japanese film can often be checked out in public libraries and is currently free to watch in the US and Canada on hulu.com.

In it, the peasants are bemoaning the fact that their village will be plundered once the crop comes in. Only one person stands up and says, "Let's fight them off". The rest discount that idea entirely, and they decide to hire seven desperate samurai. In the end many honorable samurai (and a few who are desperate for a meal and job), decide that it's a worthy idea even though they realize that some of them will die.

It's a great film, but the idea is even finer. Once organized, the village has enough people to repel the invaders. Food for thought.