Yawn. Poorly Filmed Snooze Fest.

Simply Perfect

If you don't like this, we can't be friends.

Good films always raise compelling questions, whether the format is fiction or documentary fact.

It tells the story of a powerful warlord, Shingen, in Japan's feudal conflict. He is wounded and before succumbing to them he orders his clan to find a double so that his enemies will not attack. I found this to be a rather interesting, enthralling and captivating piece of cinema. The study of imitation not just through physical embodiment, but also in mind. The double was a petty thief, all of sudden is then given power and responsibility of an entire clan. The gradual process of him being selfish to then becoming a role model was executed brilliantly. The beauty of it is that you can see how he is also convincing himself, the original warlord's family love him just as much as the original and he succumbs to this love. It's a different tradition, he came from following no rules to now creating them. Tatsuya Nakadai performed really well, his facial expressions were extremely emotive. I could see the fear in his eyes and the terror of bloodshed. But, again, the star of the show is Akira Kurosawa who really was a technical genius behind the camera. The first scene alone was a five minute one take shot. What a statement! Already I was hypnotised by his directing methods. His use of colour, slow panning shots during the dramatic scenes and then the frantic quick cuts during the war scenes. The production design and costumes were authentic, definitely felt like 1500s Japan. I like how different sub-clans had different coloured armour and banners, it made distinguishing the characters much easier. It's a long run time of 159 minutes and yet it didn't feel like it all, there is always something happening on screen. My only negative would be the heavy political script, there were times where I had no idea who was who or what was what. So many castle names and so many clans, I felt like I needed a notebook. Having said that, I am extremely susceptible to traditional Japan and their culture, not to mention the great performances and direction. Close to perfection!

This is Akira Kurosawa's penultimate historical epic made before his last such film, RAN, in 1985. Kurosawa is best known for his string of successful samurai flicks made during the 1950s – the likes of SEVEN SAMURAI, THRONE OF BLOOD, and HIDDEN FORTRESS which have wowed critics and audiences alike for the last half century. KAGEMUSHA, THE SHADOW WARRIOR is a film that sometimes recaptures those glory days but for the most part is a lesser cousin to those classic works. Where films like SEVEN SAMURAI were epic in every sense of the word, the only thing epic about KAGEMUSHA is the running time, which is seriously overlong. This means that there are quite a few slow-paced scenes which add exposition, detail, and character so only the most patient viewers need apply.Yet this isn't the biggest problem with this flawed film. The major issue is the budget, which ran out before production was complete, meaning that George Lucas came in to supply funding when Toho lucked out. In the end, this provides Kurosawa with the biggest joke of all: he's made a war film without any battle scenes, except he tricks us into thinking he has. He shoots a major incident during the night, relying on some excellent sound effects to recreate the noise and feel of warfare; my favourite trick is the use of a flickering red and blue back screen to simulate the burning of a castle. Even at the climax, we only hear and then see the aftermath of a huge, decisive battle.The good news is that these things aren't too much of a problem, because at heart KAGEMUSHA is a character piece, all about the guy who pretends to be Shingen. Tatsuya Nakadai takes the duel role of warlord and stand-in, and he's frankly excellent; the finest element of the film. He crafts a believable character, a man living his life as a lie, and his development from a petty thief to a man who really believes that he's Shingen himself is spellbinding. It helps that he's supported by a great cast, all of whom are adept at the official Japanese 'stony face' stance. Kurosawa's is a film of small, telling details and the fact that the whole thing is based on a true story makes what happens even more amazing. A mature, intelligent work of film.

The smoke in "Kagemusha" lingers in my mind, whether it comes from the morning fog over a lake, or the end of a barrel from a gun in its spectacular battle sequences. Tatsuya Nakadai plays both the Warlord and the Imposter, and how captivating he remains during this plight. Though Toho Studios couldn't afford to complete the movie, longtime Kurosawa enthusiasts George Lucas and Francis Ford Coppola convinced 20th Century Fox to pay the remaining budget for international distribution rights. Lucas and Coppola were awarded executive producer credits.Set in the Sengoku period of Japan, a thief is spared death and taught to impersonate a dying warlord in order to dissuade opposing lords from attacking the vulnerable clan for the next few years. Though initially reluctant and unworthy, the imposter begins to earn the clans respect and comes to enjoy the love of his people and his position. The story is based on daimyo Takeda Shingen, and the film culminates with a stunning portrayal of the 1575 Battle of Nagashino.The colours of this movie are beautiful, the highlight being the unforgettable "nightmare" sequence in all its gorgeous silence. Shintaro Katsu (Famous for playing blind blade master "Zatoichi", for some 25 movies) was originally the lead, however he supposedly angered Kurosawa when he brought people along to film Kurosawa's directing abilities. This lead to the employment of Mr. Nakadai, and easily remains his best performance in his line of Kurosawa pictures. Sure he already appeared as the Uber cool gunman in "Yojimbo" (1961), and would also go on to portray a heartbreaking rendition of insanity in "Ran" (1985). Here he is two separate people imitating the other one seamlessly. Being a 3 hour picture and in terms of pacing it is possibly the slowest of Kurosawa's filmography, and I think 20 minutes of this movie could be removed and you wouldn't be able to tell the difference. With all that said though, "Kagemusha" won the 1980 Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival, and I still remember all of its imagery vividly.Final Verdict: One of Kurosawa's last great epics, and certainly one of his period drama's worth watching. 9/10.

Well I watched this movie years ago, it even compelled me to read up on Shingen Takeda and my goodness he was one of the most interesting characters of the Sengoku period! Also he was known for the 'Fu-Rin-Ka-Zan' motto emblazoned on his war banners.This is interesting take on how things went after the death of Shingen and how the Kagemusha was able to impersonate Shingen but the way the story is told is incredible! Tatsuya gives memorable performances as both the real Shingen and the Kagemusha also the actors who play the Takeda generals performances are also nothing to be sneezed at.This is as we can expect from not just a great director like Akira Kurosawa but also him as a descendant of samurai.Definitely recommended for those interested in the Sengoku Jidai (Age of the Country at War) or for fans of samurai films in general.