Rashômon (Rashomon) (In the Woods) poster & wallpaper

Kichijiro Ueda, Machiko Kyo, Masayuki Mori

A heinous crime and its aftermath are recalled from differing points of view.

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94% liked it

11,336 ratings

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100% liked it

38 critics

Unrated, 1 hr. 28 min.

Directed by: Akira Kurosawa

Release Date: December 26, 1951

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DVD Release Date: March 26, 2002

Stats: 2,198 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (2,198)

  • sanjurosamurai
    May 13, 2009
    sanjurosamurai
    i liked this film a lot. this is considered one of kurosawas 5 greatest films, and i wouldnt even put it in my top 8 of his, but it was still very good. i think most respect this film so much because it was the film that catapulted kurosawa to stardom, and i can see how. mifun...( read more)e and shimura were great as always and the story was very compelling. ultimately, its a story about liars and thieves and the reality that most people in this world are not to be trusted. the last fight scene was weak, but most of this film was great. more brilliance from akira kurosawa.
  • ohagankieran
    May 3, 2009
    ohagankieran
    The film that woke up the world to Japanese cinema, this is a still-effective 'gimmick' melodrama about a rape-murder seen from four different viewpoints, each wildly different. The abused wife, the embittered husband and the lecherous bandit all get to tell their stories - the h...( read more)usband speaking through a medium - and all present themselves in the best light (as brave, noble, ferocious, self-sacrificing) while doing down the others (as cowardly, grasping, lecherous, hypocritical), but finally a bystander comes along and reveals that actually everyone involved is a moral and physical coward, reducing high tragedy to black slapstick as a duel we?ve seen as an epic struggle is re-presented as a knockabout between two men too terrified to fight properly with the final death caused by an accident rather than malice or skill.

    There's a showboat performance from Toshiro Mifune as the swaggering yet hollow bandit desperate to live up to his reputation, but it's Akira Kurosawa's direction that commands the attention as he mood ranges from the savage to the wistful to the comic. Its cynical neatness perhaps lodges it a notch down from masterpiece level, but still outstanding.
    It was adapted for American and British television in 1960 and 1961, with anglo actors playing Japanese under the direction of Sidney Lumet and Rudolph Cartier, then remade as Martin Ritt?s Western The Outrage in 1964 and the odd Bridget Fonda vehicle Iron Maze in 1991, and imitated so often as episodes of everything from The Simpsons to The X-Files that you can pitch something as ?a Rashomon story?.
  • hypathio7
    April 27, 2009
    hypathio7
    Ambiguous in its conclusion- Who's story do you trust? What a way to explore an event or theme though! Great illustration of the metaphysical allegory of several blindfolded men feeling different parts of an elephant and not being able to agree on what it is that they are feeli...( read more)ng. Everyone's description reveals some truth, but not the whole truth, everyone is lying about something, and the audience is put in the position of judge to figure out what the big picture is. It's all about each individual's interpretation. On my second viewing, I noticed how little dialog there was in the segments in the woods. Relationships and ideas are being expressed, but in silence. It is probably this silent lack of words, which causes some viewers to think the movie is slow.
  • her69eyes
    April 15, 2009
    her69eyes
    "Rashomon" is arguably the most well-known of all of Akira Kurosawa's films. Not only was it the film that introduced westerners to Japanese cinema, or the film that won the 1952 Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film and the Golden Lion at the 1951 Venice Film Festival, bu...( read more)t it is a film with a legacy that transcends the screen itself. With one of the most influential narrative structures in all of cinema history, "Rashomon" stands in a league of it's own and has cemented itself as a true classic in the history of film.

    The film was the breakout piece for Akira Kurosawa, who is often considered to be one of the greatest directors to ever live. Through a series of flashbacks, Kurosawa unravels a story with no definitive answers. While many of the film's supporters feel the urge to decipher what exactly transpired at the murder scene, that's not Kurosawa's intent. Instead, however, he paints a portrait of human nature by examining the concept of "truth". To Kurosawa, all truth is subjective, sifted through filters of ego, misjudged perspective, and faulty memory. We don't get the sense that any of the narrators in "Rashomon" are blatantly lying - rather, they are telling what they feel is legitimately correct (while romanticizing themselves in the process).

    The story begins at Kyoto's Rashomon gate where a few men shelter themselves from the rain. The first man we see is a woodcutter (Takashi Shimura) who, having lost faith in humanity, can only muster "I just don't understand". The woodcutter, who had earlier discovered a murdered man in the woods, tries to unravel the mystery behind the death with the help of a priest (Minoru Chiaki). The scenes at the gate, serving as the framing device for the film, guide us through four different accounts of the day - perspectives from the bandit (Toshiro Mifune), the man (Masayuki Mori), the woman (Machiko Kyo), and the woodcutter himself.

    In each of these accounts, the storyteller declares his or herself as being responsible for the murder. Each of the three individuals involved in the case are always present in the "flashbacks", however subtle differences make each recollection remarkably different. In one story, for instance, the woman is helpless, and in another she's defiant and strong. Only the woodcutter's story recalls each personality without any hindrance of ego. In one of the most memorable scenes of the film, we see the bandit and the man engage in a cowardly and clumsy battle to win the love of the woman. This, of course, goes completely against prior accounts of the story that paint both sides as heroic. However, because the woodcutter also has something at stake (he stole a dagger from the crime scene), and because his perceptions are skewed from the accounts he's closely studied, we can not take his story to be literally true either.

    "Rashomon"'s only flaw is perhaps it's very ending in which, through a conveniently placed baby, our characters discover that some men are still unselfish and good. The conclusion seems out-of-place and distracting from the main point of the film. That gripe is easily forgiven, however, as the film sticks with you long after seeing it. "Rashomon" is a film to embrace throughout a lifetime, and surely one that stands apart from the more disposable entertainment we see nowadays. A great movie, and one that absolutely should not be missed.
  • johnd62
    November 3, 2008
    johnd62
    Well after the longest time waiting I have finally watched Rashomon on DVD and all I can say is wow. This is an amazingly complex and poetic masterpiece by Akira Kurosawa (Just placing this out here but Seven Samurai is his greatest work of art.) Where some films are called class...( read more)ics without deserving the title (Searchers, anyone?) this film easily earns it status and acclaim and also Toshiro Mifune and Akira Kurosawa are up there with the best actor and director relationships.
  • Rossjm
    October 29, 2009
    Rossjm
    Outstanding. Best sound foreign film out there.

    Perfect ensemble cast, perfect directing and beautiful, mood setting cinematography are amongst the many flawless aspects of this mindblowing film. World Cinema doesn't get much better than this.

    The cast of basically 6 all co...( read more)me together to act out a mesmerising, gripping story told unflichingly by Kurosawa. It has you gripped from the start, when two men are heard to be talking about a horrible story, of which you cannot wait to be told. And told you are, over and over by wildly changing accounts of the crime, each as gripping as the first time.

    A film with an amazing story and a thought provoking ending that has so many inspiring, emotional meanings. Perfectly told and perfectly made with effective editing techniques such as the never more apt "swipe", glourious cinematography, perhaps the best black and white ever, a tenstion building score and great camera angles.

    I don't know what else to say other than WOW this film is phenominal and that every film fan should see it.
  • macabrescribe
    October 11, 2009
    macabrescribe
    Going into Rashomon, I didn't know what to expect. The only other Kurosawa film I had seen was Throne of Blood. Considering its time, Rashomon was an exceptionally well made film. It surpassed my expectations by a fair amount. It impressively exemplified human nature, the differe...( read more)nt definitions of truth, and how justice is dealt. However, I'll need to watch it a second time to truly appreciate it.
  • wang90
    October 7, 2009
    wang90
    One of Kurosawa's best. One of the very few Directors who have never let me down....
  • ElCochran90
    September 11, 2009
    ElCochran90
    Review coming someday...

    100/100
  • RThornhill
    September 8, 2009
    RThornhill
    Enjoyable, yet a somewhat disappointing film for me, except for the one forest scene, which was unforgettable....

View All Rashômon (Rashomon) (In the Woods) Reviews

Critic Reviews

June 1, 2002
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

Rashomon (1950) struck the world of film like a thunderbolt. full review

View more Rashômon (Rashomon) (In the Woods) reviews at RottenTomatoes.com

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