Rashomon

Play trailer

Rashomon

1950

1h 28m

Drama

Play Trailer

Watchlist

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.

Watch on Fandango at Home

Stream Now

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.

Read Critics Reviews

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.

Go to Full Review

Peter Bradshaw

Guardian

06/17/2010

5/5

Unmissable.

Go to Full Review

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.

Go to Full Review

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.

Go to Full Review

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.

Go to Full Review

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.

Go to Full Review

Read all reviews

Peter Santana

10/25/2022

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

See more

Benjamin

10/25/2022

Literally no exaggeration, one of the best movies ever.

See more

Josue P

@RT26164816 6d

Roshomon was a 1950 film which was about the medieval Japan, where this film revolves about a crime and murder, but this film not only focuses on one character but on multiple different characters. What is surrounding this movie is, "What really happened?" or "Who is telling the truth?" This movie is very interesting but at the same time like a mystery of who is telling the truth.

See more

Ellie S

@Ellie196 Mar 23

I loved how this was wrote with the four different perspectives. It gives a new side to life. It gives questions to be raised about each persons truths and memory. Would recommend, chilling and I was staying interested the whole time.

See more

Patricia P

@STARLATINA Feb 25

Rashomon, directed by Akira Kurosawa, is an interesting and unique movie about a crime told four different points of view. Each person tells the story differently, which makes you wonder what really happened. The acting, especially by Toshiro Mifune as the bendit, is strong, and the camera work with light and shadow is impressive. However, the movie can be confusing and a bit slow because the same event is repeated several times. Being in black and white and not giving a clear ending might make some viewers lsoe interest. Even so, it is an important and powerful film that shows how people can see the same event in very different ways.

See more

Shobhit B

@Shobhit121 Jan 23

This is a very cleverly written and presented story. This movie is truly ahead of its time, conveying many messages through metaphors that reveal the realities of society and human nature. While watching the film, it feels like i am watching theatrical play, but perhaps this is the writing style that make this movie different from other films of that era. Excellent Cinematography and camera angles are used very effectively in this film. Acting performance is also good but didn't age so well. The characters seem quite exaggerated and loud in some scenes, but we should also keep in mind that this movie is from 1950. Overall it is one of the most influential works of Akira Kurosawa.

See more

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

POST RATING

Akira Kurosawa

Director

Toshiro Mifune

Tajomaru

Machiko Kyō

Masako Kanazawa

Takashi Shimura

Woodcutter

Masayuki Mori

Takehiro

Minoru Chiaki

Priest

View more photos

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)

Most Popular at Home Now