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      Kagemusha

      PG Released Oct 6, 1980 2h 59m History Drama List
      89% 27 Reviews Tomatometer 92% 10,000+ Ratings Audience Score Akira Kurosawa's lauded feudal epic presents the tale of a petty thief (Tatsuya Nakadai) who is recruited to impersonate Shingen (also Nakadai), an aging warlord, in order to avoid attacks by competing clans. When Shingen dies, his generals reluctantly agree to have the impostor take over as the powerful ruler. He soon begins to appreciate life as Shingen, but his commitment to the role is tested when he must lead his troops into battle against the forces of a rival warlord. Read More Read Less Watch on Fandango at Home Premiered Jun 07 Buy Now

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      Critics Consensus

      Epic in scope and awash with striking color, Kagemusha marks Akira Kurosawa's successful return to the samurai epic.

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      Critics Reviews

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      Kevin Maher Times (UK) Monumental. Rated: 4/5 Mar 13, 2021 Full Review Gary Arnold Washington Post "Kagemusha" is such a gratifying come-back picture for a justifiably revered filmmaker that one feels churlish harboring certain reservations. May 7, 2017 Full Review Hank Sartin Time Out Rated: 5/5 Nov 18, 2011 Full Review Panos Kotzathanasis Asian Movie Pulse From the symbolic opening to the haunting final battle, “Kagemusha” remains a triumph, a brushstroke on the canvas of cinema's finest. Rated: 8.5 Mar 3, 2024 Full Review Rob Aldam Backseat Mafia An epic tale of smoke and mirrors set in a period rife with political intrigue. Mar 2, 2021 Full Review Jesús Fernández Santos El Pais (Spain) Beyond the exquisite visual effects and battles, what is most interesting about the story is its protagonist: a double who turns into the shadow of the warrior Kagemusha. [Full Review in Spanish] Aug 15, 2019 Full Review Read all reviews

      Audience Reviews

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      Marcos S Kagemusha stands as a crowning achievement in artistry by the hands of Akira Kurosawa—a sprawling, epic poem elevated by the enchanting and meticulously crafted score of Shin'ichirō Ikebe. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/03/24 Full Review Leaburn O One of my absolute favourite Kurosawa films. This samurai film actually has an interesting plot and the battle scenes are epic in scale. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 05/21/23 Full Review carl h I Love this movie. It is a Classic. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 03/05/23 Full Review Stephen C The greatest true story in 02 hours: and 59 minutes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/25/23 Full Review Audience Member During the Sengoku period, Takeda Shingen, daimyō of the Takeda clan, meets a thief his brother Nobukado spared from crucifixion due to the thief's uncanny resemblance to Shingen; the brothers agree that he would prove useful as a double, and they decide to use the thief as a kagemusha, a political decoy. Later, while the Takeda army lays siege to a castle belonging to Tokugawa Ieyasu, Shingen is shot while observing the battlefield. He then orders his forces to withdraw and commands his generals to keep his death a secret for three years before succumbing to his wound. Meanwhile, Shingen's rivals Oda Nobunaga, Tokugawa Ieyasu, and Uesugi Kenshin each contemplate the consequences of Shingen's withdrawal, unaware of his death. Nobukado presents the thief to Shingen's generals, proposing to have him impersonate Shingen full-time. Although the thief is unaware of Shingen's death initially, he eventually finds Shingen's preserved corpse in a large jar, having believed it to contain treasure. The generals then decide they cannot trust the thief and release him. Later, the jar is dropped into Lake Suwa, which spies working for the Tokugawa and Oda forces witness. Suspecting that Shingen has died, the spies go to report their observation, but the thief, having overheard the spies, returns to the Takeda forces and offers to work as a kagemusha... Kagemusha won numerous honours in Japan and abroad, marking the beginning of Kurosawa's most successful decade in international awards, the 1980s. In 2016, The Hollywood Reporter ranked the film 10th among 69 counted winners of the Palme d'Or to date, concluding "Set against the wars of 16th-century Japan, Kurosawa's majestic samurai epic is still awe-inspiring, not only in its historical pageantry, but for imagery that communicates complex ideas about reality, belief and meaning." To me this Akira Kurosawa film is not amongst his best work despite the fact it won the Palme D´Or in 1980. It´s a stretched out magnificent looking empty bore that never seems to end with a not that intriguing plotline and with wobbly editing. It´s simply a pretentious and static film in my opinion that never leaves the ground. And adding a feeling that Akira Kurosawa had "lost" a bit of his magic by then, but yet he was "Akira Kurosawa" and could get away with anything in 1980. Kurosawa´s best work was done in the 50s-60s. And in black and white which was a defining visual feature for Kurosawa. Trivia: The film won the Palme d'Or at the 1980 Cannes Film Festival (tied with All That Jazz). It was also nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film and received other honours. In 2009 the film was voted at No. 59 on the list of The Greatest Japanese Films of All Time by Japanese film magazine Kinema Junpo. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/21/23 Full Review Audience Member Obviously it is visually stunning but the narrative is just as compelling. Kurosawa is playing with classic themes of identity here and the historical setting works well for this. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 02/13/23 Full Review Read all reviews Post a rating

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      Kagemusha

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      Movie Info

      Synopsis Akira Kurosawa's lauded feudal epic presents the tale of a petty thief (Tatsuya Nakadai) who is recruited to impersonate Shingen (also Nakadai), an aging warlord, in order to avoid attacks by competing clans. When Shingen dies, his generals reluctantly agree to have the impostor take over as the powerful ruler. He soon begins to appreciate life as Shingen, but his commitment to the role is tested when he must lead his troops into battle against the forces of a rival warlord.
      Director
      Akira Kurosawa
      Producer
      Tomoyuki Tanaka, Francis Ford Coppola, George Lucas
      Screenwriter
      Masato Ide, Akira Kurosawa
      Distributor
      20th Century Fox
      Production Co
      20th Century Fox
      Rating
      PG
      Genre
      History, Drama
      Original Language
      Japanese
      Release Date (Theaters)
      Oct 6, 1980, Original
      Release Date (Streaming)
      Sep 17, 2016
      Runtime
      2h 59m
      Sound Mix
      Dolby
      Aspect Ratio
      35mm, Flat (1.85:1)
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