Rashomon

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Rashomon

1950

1h 28m

Drama

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Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

98%

Tomatometer

64 Reviews

93%

Popcornmeter

25,000+ Ratings

Brimming with action while incisively examining the nature of truth, "Rashomon" is perhaps the finest film ever to investigate the philosophy of justice. Through an ingenious use of camera and flashbacks, Kurosawa reveals the complexities of human nature as four people recount different versions of the story of a man's murder and the rape of his wife.

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Critics Consensus

One of legendary director Akira Kurosawa's most acclaimed films, Rashomon features an innovative narrative structure, brilliant acting, and a thoughtful exploration of reality versus perception.

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Kevin Maher

The Times (UK)

01/09/2023

5/5

It’s easy to forget, nonetheless, that the movie offers more rewards than a dazzling superstructure. It’s beautifully shot, vividly performed and is ultimately an arresting pop treatise on the impossibility of objective truth.

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Peter Bradshaw

Guardian

06/17/2010

5/5

Unmissable.

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Ty Burr

Boston Globe

04/22/2010

3.5/4

What Akira Kurosawa and his tiny production team wrought is now an accepted maxim of modern life, a creed by which to live in a world where everyone has a blog and an opinion.

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Michael Clark

Epoch Times

09/21/2024

5/5

“Rashomon” isn’t a whodunit thriller. Instead, it’s an observation of the unreliability of human short-term memory, particularly of the multiple witnesses at a crime scene, who are also possible victims or perpetrators.

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Mike Massie

Gone With The Twins

07/20/2024

6/10

Thoroughly unique, crafting a recognizable template for future films that opt to distort their narratives through the eyes of multiple storytellers and unreliable presentations of facts.

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Daniel Barnes

Dare Daniel

11/14/2023

5/5

The fourth story is seemingly the most objective of them all, and it's probably the closest to the truth. But even in that story, there are big holes. Everyone has something to hide.

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Peter Santana

10/25/2022

The perspective of four sides of the story so original for 1950!

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Benjamin

10/25/2022

Literally no exaggeration, one of the best movies ever.

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Joe E

@jescanuelas May 19

I have never seen a movie like it and I doubt I will again.

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Malka M

@tealbri40 May 19

This movie was extremely interesting because it made me question what was actually true the entire time. I enjoyed how confusing and chaotic the story felt because it showed how differently people see reality. The film was simple but mentally very powerful to me.

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Hayle F

@RT73632069 May 19

I really enjoyed the way the camera angles showed perspectives and details and made it seem like you were glimpsing into their lives at times. The storyline was tragic and the action shots brought in good suspense to balance it out

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Joaquin U

@Joaquin1 May 18

This is cinema—a fistful of great actors, a sharp script, a masterful photographer, and a legendary director. Most latch onto the four-tale plot, but the real core—recurring in Kurosawa’s work—is the saving of oneself or of society through deeds, not words. Brilliant film.

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Akira Kurosawa

Director

Toshiro Mifune

Tajomaru

Machiko Kyō

Masako Kanazawa

Takashi Shimura

Woodcutter

Masayuki Mori

Takehiro

Minoru Chiaki

Priest

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Synopsis

Brimming with action while incisively examining the nature of truth, "Rashomon" is perhaps the finest film ever to investigate the philosophy of justice. Through an ingenious use of camera and flashbacks, Kurosawa reveals the complexities of human nature as four people recount different versions of the story of a man's murder and the rape of his wife.

Director: Akira Kurosawa
Producer: Minoru Jingo
Screenwriter: Ryûnosuke Akutagawa, Shinobu Hashimoto, Akira Kurosawa
Distributor: RKO Radio Pictures
Production Co: Daiei Motion Picture Company
Genre: Drama
Original Language: Japanese
Release Date (Theaters): Dec 26, 1950, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Mar 23, 2017
Runtime: 1h 28m
Sound Mix: Mono
Aspect Ratio: Academy (1.33:1)