Directed by:
黒澤明Composer:
Masaru SatōCast:
Minoru Chiaki, Kamatari Fujiwara, Takashi Shimura, Toshirō Mifune, Susumu Fujita, Kōji Mitsui, Yutaka Sada, Misa Uehara, 三好栄子, 鈴木治夫, Nakajirō Tomita (more)Plots(1)
Set in 16th-century Japan, the story centres on rival clans, hidden gold and a princess in distress. Tahei (Minoru Chiaki) and Matashichi (Kamatari Fujiwara) are two cowardly soldiers on the run from an advancing enemy army. As they search the country for a cache of secret gold, they join forces with Rokurota Makabe (Toshiro Mifune), a samurai warrior who is escorting a feisty princess (Misa Uehara) through enemy territory. The mismatched travellers then have to fight a number of battles before they finally come within sight of their goal. (British Film Institute (BFI))
(more)Reviews (2)
In essence, nothing is wrong here. Apart from the pace which is terribly d-r-a-g-g-i-n-g in places. Which is a fundamental shortcoming in an adventure relax movie. Unfortunately, not even the as ever charismatic Mifune can save the day. A smooth storytelling structure, charismatic actors and decent fights; for its length there is far too little of these and it’s a shame. ()
I can't get into Kurosawa's historical films, even though the lighter storytelling style saves a lot of the film. Like other works by the director, this one also needed to be trimmed by about 25 minutes. Overall impression: 55%. ()