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Kagemusha the Shadow Warrior

Kagemusha

1980

Akira Kurosawa

Tatsuya Nakadai, Tsutomu Yamazaki, Kenichi Hagiwara, Daisuke Ryû ...

7.8

8,537

Drama In 16th century Japan, Shingen, a powerful warlord, has become as legendary as the motto emblazoned on his war banners: "Swift as the wind, silent as the forest, fierce as the fire, immovable as the mountain." As he lies dying from his battle wounds, Shingen orders his clan to find a double to replace him--to keep his death secret so that his enemies will not attack. The man chosen for this role is called Kagemusha (the shadow warrior). ... [+]

	Media	Author	Review
		Roger Ebert rogerebert.com	"His film contains epic battle scenes of astonishing beauty and scope (...) Simple, bold, and colorful on the surface, but very thoughtful (…) Rating: ★★★★ (out of 4)"
		Vincent Canby The New York Times	"'Kagemusha' is probably the director's most physically elaborate, most awesome film (...) Majestic, stately, cool, and, in many of its details, almost abstract."
		Dave Kehr Chicago Reader	"The film's deepest meanings are contained in its rhythms, which pointedly alternate between stillness and motion."
		Ian Nathan Empire	"An often overlooked fine entry in the Kurosawa canon, this shows a good many western 'epics' how it's done (…) Rating: ★★★★ (out of 5)"
		Geoff Andrew Time Out	"For all Kurosawa's splendidly colourful recreation of 16th century Japan, and though Nakadai's performance is impressive enough, it's all ultimately rather empty and tedious"
		Scott Tobias AV Club	"So masterfully controlled that his command seems to extend to the heavens themselves (...) Few directors can achieve that level of perfection on an immense scale"
		Eric Henderson Slant	"There are pleasures (...) The film vibrates with a profound respect for historical veracity (…) Rating: ★★★ (out of 4)"
		Josh Rosenblatt Austin Chronicle	"All of the director's classic themes and techniques are here (...) The film is enormous and grand and built to last, like a museum or cathedral – a reminder to the world."

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