Please remember that you are choosing to read my opinions.

I just watched a pretty good movie by the famed director Akira Kurosawa. I still haven't seen the movies he is most famous for, though, like Shichinin no samurai (seven samurai), Ran, or Rashomon. I think I like this guy, though. This movie was called Kagemusha (the shadow warrior). Basically, a warlord in medieval Japan is wounded during a battle and his last wish is that no one find out that he is dead for at least three years. A thief is recruited to impersonate him, but you can obviously see how things might not go so smoothly. They don't.

I had my doubts about watching a samurai movie. I was waiting for the actors to whip out some over-stylized martial arts, but never they didn't. That means it was different than any other movie I've ever seen that was remotely similar to this. I imagine that the movies at the height of his career are much better than this movie, which was probably nearly his last movie before his death. If you want to check out some interesting movies, check this guy out. I'd go with Seven Samurai. You may be more familiar with its american counterpart, The Magnificent Seven, but supposedly the original is best.

2.5 thumbs up!