this entire movie shocked me from beginning to end. its like watching a moving painting (and as many times as that phrase has been used, this is the only film I whole heartedly agree with it on). i'm sure many of you are familiar with the famous battle scene lacking sound between Taro and his father's men. As the father walks away from the castle, the tower in flames, and the soldiers all carrying their flags....breathtaking color (you can see Kurosawa's roots in painting here without a doubt). The Last Samurai took a lot from this movie and Seven Samurai (obviously...but theres nothing wrong with it, i LOVED last samurai) . this is easily some of the greatest footage ever put onto a DVD from one of the greatest directors of all time. Anyone reading king lear in English, rent this one, its derived from the same story with its fair share of changes, but nevertheless its a must see.

i liked it as well, but i dont think its anywhere near as good as many of kurosawas other films. if you enjoyed ran that much i recommend kagemusha. its very similair in that whole epic samurai wars/clans thing. and the way kurosawa uses colors is absolutely stunning in kagemusha as well as ran. i liked it a lot more than ran too, so if you havent seen it yet check it out.

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