Kagemusha (Shadow Warrior) (The Double) (1980)

Featured Audience Ratings

• Reid V

  
  Kagemusha is a simple, slow-moving, but altogether fascinating look at honor and loyalty. When a powerful warlord is killed in battle, a thief with an uncanny resemblance is reluctantly made to impersonate the recently deceased in order to keep up appearances. Aside from being an… More
  Kagemusha is a simple, slow-moving, but altogether fascinating look at honor and loyalty. When a powerful warlord is killed in battle, a thief with an uncanny resemblance is reluctantly made to impersonate the recently deceased in order to keep up appearances. Aside from being an interesting piece of history, Kurosawa is also playing with the idea of honor. Kurosawa gives the viewer large scale battle sequences in which many thousands of men are willing to die for their allegiance to their honored leader. Yet, how honorable and infinite is the master's wisdom if it can be mimicked by a common thief? And for this man unwillingly thrust into such a position of power, Kurosawa makes a point to show the horror on his face as he sees hoards of young men being brutalized under his command. After the imposter is outed, Kurosawa shifts from the leader's perspective to the soldiers themselves. Showing how without an idea to cling to, they really are just dying for nothing. The camera just rests on the battlefield, watching as the bloodied and battered soldiers fight to live. It is a difficult scene to watch, but through it Kurosawa makes some powerful statements. It is a samurai epic that dares to question the meaning of it all, and for that alone is deserving of your attention.

• Tim S

  
  One of Akira Kurosawa's masterpieces (everything he made is such), Kagemusha is one of his first forays into the world of color. The film looks like a living painting with very broad and rich colors everywhere, making the film unique from his other work - despite delving into the… More
  One of Akira Kurosawa's masterpieces (everything he made is such), Kagemusha is one of his first forays into the world of color. The film looks like a living painting with very broad and rich colors everywhere, making the film unique from his other work - despite delving into the samurai world once again. The film is beautiful to watch, the story is interesting and the ending is absolutely gut-wrenching. Unfortunately, I found the characters to be confusing at times since a lot of them are intended to look alike. I also think there are some moments that are much longer and slow-moving than they need to be. Other than those gripes, Kagemusha is another impressive work in a long line of impressive works from one of cinema's great masters.

• EightThirty .

  
  14/07/2010 (DVD) A little confusing at times but when you start realizing who is who then it starts getting good. Luckily there was a commentary option for audio so when it came to a part that lost me I just took it back a bit and allowed the commentary to explain things a little… More
  14/07/2010 (DVD) A little confusing at times but when you start realizing who is who then it starts getting good. Luckily there was a commentary option for audio so when it came to a part that lost me I just took it back a bit and allowed the commentary to explain things a little more so I could understand what was going on. It's a little draggy but I liked it anyway. A decent watch.

• Nelson P

  
  Akira Kurosawa's "Kagemusha" is one of those tremendously long films that somehow never drags. Regardless of your opinion on the movie, there is one thing everybody agrees on: there is beauty painted all over the screen. There's not a badly-lit or badly-composed… More
  Akira Kurosawa's "Kagemusha" is one of those tremendously long films that somehow never drags. Regardless of your opinion on the movie, there is one thing everybody agrees on: there is beauty painted all over the screen. There's not a badly-lit or badly-composed frame in the entire film. We get a surreal, array-flooded nightmare sequence, gorgeous landscape shots, majestic views of the ocean, and much more. Kurosawa always storyboarded his films using painting as opposed to sketches and here he just let loose an array of passion and colors that undoubtedly mirror what he did while trying to sell the story to distributors. Like he would do with "Ran", although not quite to the same extent, Kurosawa graphically re-enacts violence with an artistic, but harrowing nature that is completely foreign to the glorified, stimulating duels of "Yojimbo." Blood is let loose in torrents throughout the film, but Kurosawa does not overdo it to the point where it might condescend into some kind of an unintentional comedy. The climax of the movie, a recreation of the 1575 Battle of Nagashino brilliantly generates a reaction from the audience and the famous four-minute montage of death and suffering that follows is truly gripping.The running time of "Kagemusha" will question the full extent of its audience as will the scenes where very little happens for a while, but for those who appreciate a good movie and have three hours to spare, this is a tremendously enthralling experience. "Kagemusha" boasts a lot of exterior display, but unlike a great many other movies that have the same accolade of looking good, Kurosawa's movie shows beauty beneath as well, on the human level, encompassing the audience with a heck of a story. It had me drawn in right from the very beginning. This is the definition of a motion picture.

• Bruce B

  
  A 5 Star Criterion Collection Film. The very best Japanese film I have ever seen. The Costumes and the amount of people unbelievable. The era is early Japan 1500. The best film you will ever see. No limit on Budget. 5 stars

• First L

  
  Kagemusha is director Akira Kurosawa's 3-hour epic historical drama surrounding the events of, and leading up to, the Battle of Nagashino. The warlord Shingen sits on his throne of power, using his brother Nobukado as a stand-in, or body double in case of assassins. Nobukado… More
  Kagemusha is director Akira Kurosawa's 3-hour epic historical drama surrounding the events of, and leading up to, the Battle of Nagashino. The warlord Shingen sits on his throne of power, using his brother Nobukado as a stand-in, or body double in case of assassins. Nobukado finds a thief who's been sentenced to death who bears an uncanny resemblance to the lord and spares his life in order to recruit him for the job of stand-in. The thief refuses at first, but later, but later, when Shingen is struck by a sniper's bullet, he steps in to become the "kagemusha" or "shadow warrior" (the shadow image of the fallen warlord). With the aid of Nobukado, he learns the protocol necessary to fool the friends and family of the ruler. Kurosawa takes a Robert Bresson approach to Kagemusha, in that he never shows the key events actually transpiring: when the sniper shoots Shingen, we only hear the sound of it, and the subsequent aftermath; when the final climactic battle takes place, we only see the aftermath of the gunfight, not the actual gunfight itself; when Kagemusha falls from the horse, we only see him laying on the ground, not the fall itself. Kurosawa's usual visual approach has been muted a little as well, instead of the shockingly contrasting black and white visual style of earlier works (or the absolute fascination on display in the follow-up film, "Ran"), we get large, cutting swathes of outdoor shots. Armies with their colorful flags, on the march against the backdrop of the sea. His stand-out visuals here consist of cutting the screen in two or three sections and giving us contrasting colors between them (such as in Kagemusha's dream sequence). But what about the story? At three hours, it's spread a little thin, but then again, so do most films of this genre. The way Kagemusha treats his role in all this is a little ambigious: is he an actor trying to portray a ruler or does he really come to believe he is the warlord? In the context of historical dramas, it ranks among the best. In the world of Kurosawa, it's somewhat less. It's a film though, that took alot for Kurosawa to make. After running out of financial backing, american directors George Lucas and Frances Ford Coppola convinced 20th Century Fox to back the completion of the film. It's a great story of the kind of respect Kurosawa garners in film community.

• Randy T

  
  Epic, tragic and a treat for the eyes. Falls short of Kurosawa's <i>Ran</i>, but just barely. *<i>NOTE</i>: The three hour run time means that it is definitely not hemorrhoid friendly.

• Saskia D

  
  I saw the movie twice in two days, and it's an interesting movie, very different from his other work. I found out that the role that Nakadai plays, was originally written for Katsu Shintaro, but that they didn't get along at all, and Kurosawa had to look for another actor… More
  I saw the movie twice in two days, and it's an interesting movie, very different from his other work. I found out that the role that Nakadai plays, was originally written for Katsu Shintaro, but that they didn't get along at all, and Kurosawa had to look for another actor to star in his place (good choice if you ask me). Kurosawa intended it to be a more funny movie (and with Shintaro that would obviously have been the case), but of course it didn't work out that way. <a href="http://media.photobucket.com/image/kagemusha/Yojimbo501/Movies/kagemusha05.jpg?o=8" target="_blank"><img src="http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn229/Yojimbo501/Movies/kagemusha05.jpg"></a>

• Luke B

  
  Kurosawa may have referred to it as a dress rehersal for Ran, but Kagemusha is an incredible film in its own right. Never getting dragged down throughout its 3 hour running time, Kurosawa again proves (if proof be needed) that he is certainly a master of pace. Kurosawa shows he is and… More
  Kurosawa may have referred to it as a dress rehersal for Ran, but Kagemusha is an incredible film in its own right. Never getting dragged down throughout its 3 hour running time, Kurosawa again proves (if proof be needed) that he is certainly a master of pace. Kurosawa shows he is and always has been an atist. The colours used in the dream sequences are simply beautiful.

• Stella D

  
  like a mad tragic japanese prisoner of zenda. beautifully filmed and the final scenes are heartrending

• Christopher M

  
  As somewhat of an expert on Japanese history, I can safely say that Akira Kurosawa is definitely the director most adept at portraying the Samurai-era of that history; as he does so very successfully in Kagemusha. Although reportedly considered by Kurosawa to be a… More
  As somewhat of an expert on Japanese history, I can safely say that Akira Kurosawa is definitely the director most adept at portraying the Samurai-era of that history; as he does so very successfully in Kagemusha. Although reportedly considered by Kurosawa to be a "dress-rehearsal" for his later Shakespearean epic, Ran - Kagemusha is quite a brilliant film on its own, and a very fine samurai epic from the master of them. The film takes place in the 1600s, a period marked by constant civil war among Japanese clans. The story focuses on Lord Takeda, who, like most prominent Japanese leaders, had several people who would impersonate him in public when needed to minimize the threat of assassination. A thief named Kagemusha is chosen as the next impersonator because he looks unnervingly alike to the Lord, and is forced to take over the role more permanently when he dies. The film is a whirlwind of themes and beautiful imagery, and wonderful, broad artistic strokes, and yet still an intimately human film about the relationships we have. As usual, Kurosawa's attention to detail is staggering and he gets awesome performance out of his leads; especially Tatsuya Nakadai, who pulls double duty as Lord Shingen and Kagemusha. There are so many great scenes in this film; such as an amazing, painterly dream sequence and a roaring, epic battle finale which should be the envy of all samurai films. Kagemusha rocks, and is, like all of the master Kurosawa's films, a must see.

• danny d

  
  scattered and unclear, but a great representation of japanese regime culture. battle scene at end is terrible, but the characters are represented well.

• xGary X

  
  Although I am a big Kurasawa fan, I found this one a little slow-moving and confused. But there is still much to enjoy in the lavish battle sequences and artful direction.

• Matthew Y

  
  Kurosawa was never as respected in Japan as he was abroad and after his split with actor Mifune he found it considerably difficult to securing backing for his films. Fearing he'd never get the chance to film it, Kurosawa began a series of paintings that depicted his ambitious… More
  Kurosawa was never as respected in Japan as he was abroad and after his split with actor Mifune he found it considerably difficult to securing backing for his films. Fearing he'd never get the chance to film it, Kurosawa began a series of paintings that depicted his ambitious period piece Kagemusha. These paintings, along with their love and admiration for Kurosawa, convinced Francis Ford Coppola and George Lucas to finance the project in a move that was more touching than any film either director could create. Kagemusha was the most epic scoped film Kurosawa had ever created and it would probably be considered a masterpiece for the ages if he had not one 'upped himself 5 years later with Ran. Some of the best costumes, cinematography, set designs, art direction and just overall production value you are likely to ever see, Kagemusha is classic film that is a must see.

• Gevvy S

  
  It wasn't the case with Ran, but I strongly felt that this Kurosawa flick was missing Mifune. Although Nakadai is indeed an established actor himself and did a great job as Hidetora in Ran, Mifune would've done more justice to the part of the lord Shingen in Kagemusha. This… More
  It wasn't the case with Ran, but I strongly felt that this Kurosawa flick was missing Mifune. Although Nakadai is indeed an established actor himself and did a great job as Hidetora in Ran, Mifune would've done more justice to the part of the lord Shingen in Kagemusha. This was just a part that would've suited Mifune a lot better. Nakadai is still good in the film though, playing both the late lord and his double. The film itself is amazing, full of memorable scenes and riveting images. The set design during the dream sequence is simply outstanding in it's use of colour and utterly unique. The soundtrack was good as well. It's very fun to watch how they avoid exposing identity of the double of their late Emperor. Good script and great execution. Very heartbreaking final battle scene, seeing the horses in pain and all the carnage of war. Ironic in the end that Shingen wished his death to be kept a secret for 3 years so he could save his clan and at the end of those 3 years, his clan comes to a complete end.

• Chris B

  
  A much darker film when it comes to his Samurai films but powerful, even with the chunk of action off screen. The final twenty minutes and the aftermath of the carnage is heart stopping.

• cody f

  
  I am a big Kurosawa fan and this film just didn't deliver. It has a great set up but doesn't have a payoff. I was really enjoying it, but after 3 hours I was expecting a little something more. The film does have some great moments but I expect more from Kurosawa.

• Tom S

  
  Oh man, that final scene with the horses... ... ...no words.

• MJS M

  
  The fact that this masterpiece isn't one of Kurosawa's top five films is a tribute to how exellent a filmmaker he was. Beautifully builds up to an apocalyptic ending.

Read all 19 featured audience ratings