Kagemusha

Pros: Cinematographic splendor, magnificent costumes, solid storyline, amazing equestrian ?performances?

Cons: Only suffers from too obvious comparison with Ran ? a comparison few films could withstand

The Bottom Line: Highly recommended visual spectacle and period piece set during the clan era of Japanese history.

Review: Kagemusha is not one of Kurosawa s most talked about films, but deserves far more attention than it gets. It tends to be overshadowed by its great successor film, Ran...

Pros: spectacular action film with deep reflections on character, role-taking, and role-engulfment

Cons: Japanese council meetings sometimes seem frozen and overlong

The Bottom Line: A great (though chilly/despairing) visually stunning classic that gathers force as it goes along

Review: Akira Kurosawa was arguably the greatest film-maker ever. His string of black-and-white masterpieces starring Toshiro Mifune included Stray Dog, Rashomon, Seven Samurai, Throne of Blood, Yojimbo,

Pros: long but not difficult, interesting images and ideas.

Cons: not a lot of action

The Bottom Line: A great film from Kurosawa.

Review: Akira Kurosawa's Kagemusha is the sort of movie in which its story offers proof that talent isn't necessary to be a leader. You just got to look the part.

In a 16th-century Japan embroiled in war, a petty thief is saved from execution by...

Pros: Kurosawa's Direction, Script, Cinematography, Look, Battle Scenes, & Cast.

Cons: Starts off Slow at First & Pacing Lags a Bit at Times.

The Bottom Line: Kagemusha is a Powerful, Profound Film from Akira Kurosawa led by the Performances of Tatsuya Nakadai & Tsutomu Yamazaki. (4.5 out of 5)

Review: From 1950 to 1965, Akira Kurosawa had released and made fourteen films, many of them were considered masterpieces. After 1965's Red Beard that starred regular Toshiro Mifune, the film was the last film he made with the actor and in the...

Pros: direction, script, cinematography, sets, costumes

Cons: pacing is slow, many scenes are lengthy and static

The Bottom Line: While not the best of Akira Kurosawa's 'Samurai' films, Kagemusha is still a very good film with a thoughtful story and excellent cinematography, sets, and costumes.

Review: Undeniably the greatest of all Japanese directors, Akira Kurosawa is best known for his 'Samurai' films. These are set in feudal Japan, and are determinedly anti-war with their depiction of endless, futile battles between rival clans.

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Pros: A Beautifully Tragic Tale

Cons: It takes longer than an American Audience may be used to.

Review: If you are a fan of epic stories, this is a movie for you. It has a deliberate pace that allows the viewer time to appreciate the nuances of the story, characters, and the Irony of the plot.

Take notes in your mind as you watch this of who...