MovieChat Forums > Kagemusha (1980) Discussion > An epic of boredom

An epic of boredom

posted 18 years ago by Ridley_Scott
16 replies | jump to latest

I thought the movie's plot and beautiful cinematography would be enough to hold my interest.
I was wrong.

The movie suffers from the "not enough action syndrome."
The movie's very few battle scenes are short and quite pathetic considering the amount of extras, horses, etc that were used in the film.

Why spend all the money to have these extras on set and not even put them to use?

I don't wana look at a *beep* army move around in formation.
I wana see them chop some *beep* heads off and slaughter their enemies like a good samurai should.

The movie is worth seeing at least once for the excellent cinematography and the cool costume designs.

But I'd never want to see it again.
(According to one reviewer on Amazon.com, the last battle scene was almost entirely cut out from the DVD version of the film. So maybe I shouldn't judge until I've seen the entire version of the film, but I doubt my opinion would change.)

I would recommend Ran, Throne of Blood, or even The Last Samurai over this.

[–] Jabbapop 17 years ago

Needs more replicants.

[–] 17 years ago

[deleted]

[–] 17 years ago

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[–] kashmir511 17 years ago

I agree w/ irradiata.

One had to know a little bit of history of that time to understand this fully.
Most people got confused when they saw this film because much detail wasn't given.

And the battle scenes were not great.

This is mainly this picture's weak point.

[–] 17 years ago

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[–] franzkabuki 11 years ago

Yet to see a Kurosawa film that was anything close to boring. Your dumb spectacles, Mr Scott, of the last 30 years or so, on the other hand... now where is this boot and where´s yer ass...?

"facts are stupid things" - Ronald Reagan

[–] IceboxMovies 11 years ago

The film's battle sequences are "not great" because this film is NOT SUPPOSED TO BE A BATTLE EPIC!

It is told from the point of view of a petty thief with no fighting experience whatsoever.

The most violence we see in the film is watching the thief's guards get shot trying to protect him -- because that's as close as he gets to combat.

That is, until he gets shot at the end.

If you watched this movie expecting a battle epic, you expected wrong. Kurosawa is painting a portrait of a nonviolent man whose nonviolence proves irrelevant in combat. When hundreds die for him, he is ashamed, and attempts to muster up courage at a moment that is too little and too late.

It's a very sad film. I love it.

[–] SpiritOfAchilles 11 years ago

Are you really Ridley Scott?

Cool! Me, I'm channeling Achilles, son of Peleus. But I digress; love your work, Blade Runner was top notch, so was Alien, however, I'm not convinced you've really grasped the essence of Kagemusha - Kurosawa is not Peckinpah.

[–] rca1824 10 years ago

I think you missed the point of this film. This film is not meant to be an action film. It's a drama. It's about a humble doppelganger summoning the courage to successfully imitate The Mountain during a battle when men are dying all around him. That was the emphasis. I actually cried during this move because I was so moved by The Mountain's intense gravitas and courage.

[–] rca1824 10 years ago

I think you missed the point of this film. This film is not meant to be an action film. It's a drama. It's about the magnetic personality of The Mountain and how it convinced a humble peasant to serve as his doppelganger, stand motionless during battle, and even join a suicidal charge against riflemen. If I was the doppelganger, I would do the same--because who doesn't love The Mountain?

The Mountain is like a Japanese equivalent of Clint Eastwood. He servers as an instrumental role model in manliness, courage, and gravitas. If you watch Clint Eastwood's newer films, like Gran Torino or Unforgiven, there is very little action. It's a drama, mostly around the thoughts, feelings, and actions of an incredible man. We are supposed to study this man, not sit there bored waiting for the next action scene.

[–] andrewsk8s 10 years ago

I did not find it boring at all.

I'm sure it's been mentioned before, but Kagemusha is loosely inspired by a true story of a famous samurai of the Sengoku period, Takeda Shingen ("the Tiger"). He was a much feared and respected warrior and military tactician.

Though the actual circumstances of his death are lost to history, a legend persists that he might have succumbed to a sniper's bullet during a battle. His retainers kept up the illusion that he was alive and well, making appearances on the battlefield in his armor and regalia for months after his death. The respect for his ferocity, military prowess, and powerful army delayed Oda Nobunaga from attacking his clan.

Kagemusha is like an intriguing "what might have happened" fiction extrapolated from known historical data, like Titanic or Perfect Storm.