Huievest Instead, you get a movie that's enjoyable enough, but leaves you feeling like it could have been much, much more.

Ogosmith Each character in this movie — down to the smallest one — is an individual rather than a type, prone to spontaneous changes of mood and sometimes amusing outbursts of pettiness or ill humor.

Darin One of the film's great tricks is that, for a time, you think it will go down a rabbit hole of unrealistic glorification.

Haven Kaycee It is encouraging that the film ends so strongly.Otherwise, it wouldn't have been a particularly memorable film

Michael Open I first saw this magnificent film at Cannes in 1980. In those romantic days before the building of the new Palais des Festivals in ugly concrete, the old Palais was a shining white building in the centre of the Croisette. I was there as a journalist and usually - even for the largest films (E.T, for example), the press conferences were in a top floor salon that accommodated around 150 maximum.For Kagemusha, however, the press conference was held in the auditorium of the Grand Palais itself. We all waited with baited breath as the great man appeared in his characteristic black outfit, to a thunderous applause about five minutes after the end of the film. I can't remember who moderated the questions, but I can remember how Kurosawa deftly skirted around questions of finance, which were passed over to a representative of Coppola and Lucas, but was thorough and forthcoming in answering questions about the shoot and his views on the thematic side of the film.But no one was very critical, as we had almost all been won over by this magnificent film - his first Japanese film for almost a decade. Although it was not alluded to in the press conference, the more I thought about Kagemusha, the more it seemed to me to be really very Shakespearean in theme - about the concept of kingship, and expressed the notion that the responsibility of kingship in itself imposes a certain nobility on the person who assumes it.In the early scenes, the Great Lord Shingen who commands the throne as the film opens, is totally regal in his comportment, which is greatly contrasted with that of the thief who is chosen to become his 'kagemusha' or shadow warrior. But gradually, as the film progresses, the kagemusha assumes more and more the regal characteristics of Shingen, while Shingen's relatives prove themselves unworthy.The film, like all of Kurosawa's mid- to late-period works, is visually magnificent with often symmetrical sets and bold clear use of colour in a quasi-symbolic way. At that time, when I was in my early thirties, I had drifted away from the earlier reverence I had for the director, in a misguided belief that one had to choose between Kurosawa and Mizoguchi – much as some people still think that you have to choose between Chaplin and Keaton. But Kagemusha made me realise that in Japanese cinema there was really an extraordinary triumvirate in Ozu, Mizoguchi and Kurosawa and no choice was necessary. I do not find this film any less wonderful than 'Ran'.

davidnoparacualquiera i saw the film more than a couple of times,i love it..30 years is plenty of time to prove us that movies of today had a lot to learn from this ones...a lot of things had change in the way of making movies..and not necessary good ones.watch this film with a clear mind,not tired,relax..and enjoyed!the strenght of a mountain.. the essence of human.. the shadow of a warrior. everything in this film is wonderful,the images and score music are so powerful.kurosawa give to us another almost perfect piece of art. the scale of battles scenes in this type of movies are huge and the choreography for the warriors and horses is amazing. this is a pleasure to watch. beautiful and timeless

Blueghost Kurosawa said it himself, this is a film that was designed as a dress rehearsal for "RAN", and you can see it. Kagemusha has a lot of experimentation with shots, colors, and a fairly loose editing style with a kind of free form structure. It's essentially a giant experimentation for what could work in a film, and what doesn't. The style is fairly rushed as well. The kind of care or calculated artwork that we'd normally get from a Kurosawa film is simply not here.That's not to say that the film is bad, because it isn't, but the kind of careful craftsmanship that we're so used to with a Kurosawa has been given some high octane fuel, and as such we don't get shots that linger too long on one subject. Not shots that are muted in tone. We get lots of moving shots as well; pans, a few subtle zooms, and the occasional tracking shot. This isn't normal for a Kurosawa film. Again, here we have a kind of "let's shoot this to see what we've got" kind of movie. The culmination of which we will eventually see in the film he shot afterwards; "RAN"."Kagemusha" is also a bit of a departure for Kurosawa in that it deals with real historical events and characters. Most of the films I've seen by Kurosawa have dealt with traditional fiction. But here we a kind of docudrama, albeit altered for dramatic effect and for the big screen. Again, not such a big deal here, because the film does work.Lots of people heap praises on this film, and where I admit to its craftsmanship, it's essentially a preparation for another film. Watch it for what it's worth and enjoy what you can.

njmollo Katsu's KagemushaKagemusha (1980) is unique motion picture. The cinematography and epic scope are at times simply stunning but something still haunts this motion picture, the "what could have been?" In Kagemusha, the lead roles of Lord Shingen Takeda and the thief, were written for the actor Shintarô Katsu but due to an on-set falling out with Akira Kurosawa, Katsu was promptly fired and Tatsuya Nakadai was quickly re-cast. Some have said that Akira Kurosawa wanted to make Kagemusha a comedy. This assumption is strengthened because Shintarô Katsu was famous in Japan as the endearing and comic character Zatoichi, the blind wandering Yakuza. Yet Kagemusha while having some comic moments was never intended to be a film trapped by a single genre. Seven Samurai/ Shichinin no samurai (1954) has many comic scenes but no one would call it a comedy. Kurosawa's life experiences had made him understand that tragedy and comedy were frequent bedfellows. Often in times of stress, disaster or war, humour is a necessary release. Even Kurosawa's darkest films have elements of comedy.The main complaint about Kagemusha is that Tatsuya Nakadai gives a theatrical and cold performance. In Tatsuya Nakadai's long acting career, he excelled in villainous roles. As an actor he retained a certain detachment that suited cold-blooded parts. He could not translate an easily identifiable or sympathetic humanity for an audience, nor could he effortlessly employ humour as Toshirô Mifune or Shintarô Katsu so often did. While Tatsuya Nakadai gives a heartfelt and dramatic performance as the thief, the audience remains an observer rather than an investor in the character.Shintarô Katsu was a talented actor. He had the ability to give each part a striking individuality. His Zatoichi character became one of the most popular in Japan and spawned 26 movies and over 100 television episodes. Yet in other film roles Shintarô Katsu showed his abundant skill by transforming himself so completely that the blind Yakuza, Zatoichi became unrecognisable. Shintarô Katsu's natural charisma can be seen in his superb performance in Hitokiri/ Tenchu! (1969) as a block-headed samurai assassin, Izo Okada. Incidentally, this film co-stars Tatsuya Nakadai as another cold and calculating character, a clan leader that orders Izo Okada from assassination to assassination with heartless efficiency. Shintarô Katsu's character is a murderer and kills on command yet his performance allows the audience to sympathise with his dilemma. When Izo Okada breaks down in a stunning scene of heart breaking grief, the audience is firmly on his side. Playing a ruthless and dim-witted killer could so easily alienate the audience and it is a testament to Shintarô Katsu's talent that the bloodthirsty character becomes so sympathetic.Shintarô Katsu's other famous, or should I say infamous, creation is the character of Hanzo: The Razor, a perverted and sadomasochistic policeman, in a trilogy of exploitation films. The first and the best is called Goyôkiba/ Hanzo the Razor: Sword of Justice (1972), directed by the underrated and hugely talented Kenji Misumi. Yet again, Katsu plays a thoroughly despicable character that the audience can root for. It is clear that the casting of Shintarô Katsu was an inspired decision and it seems the actor was enthusiastic and excited to be given the chance to play the role. Like Toshirô Mifune, Shintarô Katsu had been making films for his own production company. He had the reputation as an individualist with at times, an unbridled ego. Unfortunately Shintarô Katsu was unable to subjugate himself to Akira Kurosawa. He needed to put aside his own presumptions of being a famous Japanese movie star and submit completely to Kurosawa's direction. This he was unable to do and it resulted in a row that led to Akira Kurosawa firing Shintarô Katsu on the spot.It is a lasting shame that someone as talented as Shintarô Katsu could not reign-in his own ego for the duration of the Kagemusha production because this would have been the first time that Shintarô Katsu, the actor, would have been presented to an international audience by one of the worlds most esteemed directors. He may have been remembered as one of Japan's great leading men rather than the popular yet domestic star in a series of Zatoichi movies.What would have Shintarô Katsu brought to the roles of Lord Shingen Takeda and the thief, Kagemusha? Lord Shingen Takeda would have been much the same as is seen in the final version of Kagemusha. A Lord that is stayed and dignified. The dynamism would have come with Katsu's interpretation of the thief. Here we would have seen the effortless comedy coming from the actor and also the accessible humanity. The audience would have had a despicable yet charming character to empathise with and enjoy.Presumably, there would also be moments of inspired improvisation with Shintarô Katsu experimenting with comedic options or tragic interpretations. This may have caused on-set difficulties but Kurosawa would have accepted differences of interpretation if the actor's motivations were authentically based on the character's motivations and not simply expressions of an actor's ego. Still the filmmaking involved in Kagemusha is so assured and striking that it can arguably be regarded as one of the most beautiful pictures ever made yet what remains is the stunning artistry of the images and not the performances or emotion.Shintarô Katsu would have given the film a much needed heart. As it stands Kagemusha is an Akira Kurosawa movie rather than a Shintaro Katsu tour de force.