Tedfoldol everything you have heard about this movie is true.

Grimossfer Clever and entertaining enough to recommend even to members of the 1%

Roxie The thing I enjoyed most about the film is the fact that it doesn't shy away from being a super-sized-cliche;

Kayden This is a dark and sometimes deeply uncomfortable drama

SnoopyStyle Tahei and Matashichi are two greedy bumbling peasants in feudal Japan. They are late to fight in a battle for the Yamana clan against the defeated Akizuki clan and end up digging graves. In the chaos, they escape and encounter General Rokurōta of the Akizuki clan hiding in the Hidden Fortress with Princess Yuki Akizuki and the remaining family gold. After Rokurōta's sister sacrifices herself in the princess' place, he takes the princess to a friendly ally. He tricks the two fools to carry the gold while the tomboy princess pretends to be mute. After witnessing an enslaved girl mistreated, the princess gets Rokurōta to purchase her.The great Akira Kurosawa made this samurai adventure comedy. The two foolish peasants are kind of funny. I imagine that they are a whole lot funnier back in the day for a Japanese audience. The culture, language and time differences do create a distance for a modern English audience. They are obviously broadly comical.

robertguttman It's almost impossible not to like "The Hidden Fortress". It is an action-adventure-comedy with something to please just about everyone. Created by one of the greatest film directors of all time, the movie follows a diverse set of characters through a series of more cliff-hanging adventures than any movie this side of "Raiders of the Lost Arc". As the noble and loyal samurai general in disguise who leads the cast, Toshiro Mifune was in absolute top form in this film. Sharing his adventures are a plucky and willful young princess and two hilariously foolish, venal and horny peasants. Their task is to convey the princess, along with a large cache of hidden gold, through enemy lines to safety. It's not a complicated plot but, in the hands of director Akira Kurosawa, it becomes a veritable roller-coaster ride of thrills. For those who insist that they don't care for black-and- white movies, or movies with subtitles, just be assured that those issues really don't matter in this case. If you don't enjoy this, you probably won't like anything.

Tweekums As this film opens we see two peasants bickering; they sold what little they had to seek their fortunes in war and ended up on the losing side. They aren't even free for long as they are captured and forced to dig for treasure by their captors. Luckily they escape again and as they are sitting down to eat find a gold bar hidden in their firewood. The look for more but soon another man appears he tells them he is Rokurota Makabe, a famous general, but they don't believe him… they do however decide to go with him when he tells them he has the rest of the gold; unbeknownst to them the 'mute' accompanying the general is a princess wanted by the local warlord. They will have to avoid enemy forces and resist their own greed in they are to get back home with a share of the gold.This is another classic from director Akira Kurosawa which nicely mixes drama and comedy. The fact that the two main characters were driven by greed rather than any noble motivation made them funny as each attempt they made to get rich by double-crossing each other and the others in their party was doomed to failure; Minoru Chiaki and Kamatari Fujiwara do fine jobs in these roles. Equally good is Toshirô Mifune who plays the general; a more serious character but still able to provide a few laughs as well as some action. Misa Uehara is likable as the tomboyish Princess Yuki; a good strong female character. The story flows nicely and doesn't seem overly long despite being well over two hours long. If you are a fan of Kurosawa's other works or Japanese cinema in general this is a must see.These comments are based on watching the film in Japanese with English subtitles.

LeonLouisRicci This Film from Japan's Premiere Filmmaker will take more Effort from Americans to Embrace, but it is so Charming and Beautiful that it will Win the US Audience Despite its Buffoonish and Annoying Comedy Duo.There is much more here to Ogle and Awe as Kurosawa really knows how to Fill a Frame. Every Scene is a "Picture" that uses Cinema in the Best Artistic Tradition of the Medium. No Wasted Space, in Fact every Inch is Imbued with Purpose. The Director is not Fond of Closeups and that is a Lesson that Modern Directors have Never Learned.The Story is a Blend of Adventure and Whimsy with Slapstick and Samurai Energizing this Slightly Longish Tale. Toshiro Mifune is again Welcomed but it is Misa Uehara as Princess Yuki that Beautifies the Screen with a Sexy Princess that Commands the Viewer's Attention as She is a Stunning Actress with an Accent on Beauty but not to the Detriment of a Dogged Determination that is not Intimidated by Her Male Counterparts.Overall this is a Typical Visual Treat from a Master of Image that set out to make a Lighter Affair in Contrast to His Previous Work and it Works Magnificently.