Kagemusha is really gorgeous to look at, like most Kurosawa films. The costumes and sets are impressive and the locations are nice. The imagery is primarily made up of the aftermath of battles and seated discussions. He seems very patient - he will not compromise his artistry to try to keep an audience's attention. Thus, parts of this movie can feel slow. But by the end, once you understand what it's about, I feel it was all very enjoyable. Why should movies have to rush through their plot points? Why can't we admire the scenery and dwell on some thoughts and feelings before moving on?The main character is a thief that looks remarkably like "The Mountain", the head of the Shingen army. This group is in competition with 2 other clans. The leader becomes fatally ill and thus this man is made to be his double for some time. This avoids panic and keeps the enemies intimidated as they believe The Mountain is still alive.Both roles are played Tatsuya Nakadai. He says a lot with his eyes. Sometimes expressing confidence and jocularity, sometimes looking haunted and fearful. The thief initially remains petty and uncooperative but is eventually affected by the aura of the man he is replacing. Perhaps he does gain some real power simply through his appearance, especially if dressed up and in public. He's a bit like a scarecrow. It's quite surreal for him to sit in the position of power, quietly trying to avoid giving anything away. Those that know the secret are emotionally affected by his similarity to The Mountain. And for those that don't know, he has as much power as they grant him.By the end we feel he has been deeply affected by his experience. Maybe his life started to mean something. But that period of usefulness will not last forever. What is he meant to do after that? Kagemusha has plenty of food for thought. And it gives you the time to admire its story, characters and images. I'm not sure I yet fully appreciate the potential meaning of Kagemusha. But I'll remember the little man who unexpectedly became the centre of attention and affected history.

i saw the film more than a couple of times,i love it..30 years is plenty of time to prove us that movies of today had a lot to learn from this ones...a lot of things had change in the way of making movies..and not necessary good ones.watch this film with a clear mind,not tired,relax..and enjoyed!the strenght of a mountain.. the essence of human.. the shadow of a warrior. everything in this film is wonderful,the images and score music are so powerful.kurosawa give to us another almost perfect piece of art. the scale of battles scenes in this type of movies are huge and the choreography for the warriors and horses is amazing. this is a pleasure to watch. beautiful and timeless

Akira Kurosawa, acclaimed Japanese film writer and director, is probably best known in the west via his influence on many notable new wave era filmmakers. Here two of those Kurosawa acolytes, George Lucas and Francis Ford Coppola, repaid the debt as it were by helping to finance the Japanese veteran's most ambitious and stupendous epic yet. In spite of its grandeur, Kurosawa would later dismiss Kagemusha as a mere "dress rehearsal" for Ran, his even vaster epic of 1985. But when watching this earlier picture's awesome pageantry and historical re-enactment, one's likely response is "some rehearsal!" Kagemusha takes Kurosawa back to his biggest hits of the 1950s, being set in war-torn feudal Japan. However the focus is very different, moving away from the peasants, bandits and disgraced warriors as protagonists and small-scale human relations as his themes, now looking at the machinations of the highest echelon of that society, with an often cold and distant eye. Since his 1971 suicide attempt Kurosawa seemed to become more cynical and detached from human affairs, not just as a writer but also in his technical style as a director. Kagemusha contains very few close-ups, with even key dialogue scenes filmed with vast gaps between camera and actors, and objective god-shots for the busier scenes.And yet there are similarities here with Kurosawa's much earlier pictures, especially in the director's aesthetic use of movement and stillness within the frame. Check out the scene in which the soldiers hear an enemy playing a flute from across the lines. The men are completely motionless, and the only movement is a flickering fire in the background and the occasional twitch of a flag in the breeze. It makes for a considerably mystical moment. But this approach has a function beyond the aesthetic. The opening scene, filmed all in one shot, shows Lord Shingen, the impersonator (both played by Tatsuya Nakadai) and Nobukado (Tsotomu Yamazaki) all sat in the throne room. The impersonator does not speak until near the end of the scene, but our eyes are drawn to him because of his movements – the occasional change in posture or flash of the eyes – and the comparative stillness of the other two. This long unbroken take means the room, with its great floral crest, is imposed into our minds, and resonates later on when we see Nakadai in the same room, now instated as the lord.And despite the distances between camera and cast, the colourful costumes against plain backdrops really puts an emphasis on the people in Kagemusha, allowing them to express themselves through body language more than facial expression. Lead man Tatsuya Nakadai is really adept at this, putting so much feeling into a shrug of his shoulders or a turn of his head. When you see, in this picture, the complex vocal arrangements and stylised movements of the Noh troupe, or the drummers who are able to make two strikes a fraction of a beat apart, you see examples of precise co-ordination in many formal rituals of Japanese culture. Nakadai has that same precision and control over his body, and turns them towards both theatrical gesture and realist reaction. And in those one or two cases in which we get to see his face close-up we see his talent there too, an ability to display a real look of emotional injury.So far there is very little I have said about Kagemusha that one could not also say about the later epic Ran, with the exception of Ran being a little an even bigger production and a little more stylised. So perhaps Kurosawa was right to think of the earlier picture as being a lesser forerunner to the later one. And yet, Kagemusha has the edge over Ran in one aspect. Whereas Ran is a totally dismal and inhumane affair, Kagemusha retains the heart and humanism of Kurosawa's older pictures. Composer Shinichiro Ikebe provides a rousing orchestral score, shot through with a touch of melancholy, and this beautifully matches the tone of the whole piece. It may lack the hopeful message of Seven Samurai or Rashomon, but it has the same warm regard for its characters that, even with a more objective eye, Kurosawa allows us to share in.

The tremendous Kagemusha is growing old. Kurosawa's genius, however, never dies, and this phenomenal three hours of Japanese color is as young as any film in the archives. The 180 minutes fly by watching such splendor. There are many memorable minutes that flare out brightly in this unbelievable film. Too many to bring back in one review. --Spoilers:I'm especially thrilled to think of Shingen's royal crest, with this motto. The great Shogun: "Swift as the Wind, Silent as the Forest, Merciless as Fire, and Immoveable as the Mountain." Yet, his banner at the final frames of this gorgeous movie; with those words on it, lies beneath the waters of a seashore; finally beaten down. Kagemusha, his shadow warrior is seen above it, lamenting.Leading up to the climax, a particularly exquisite scene has the victorious foe Oda Nobunaga singing defiant words of a mighty Samurai. For the life of me, I wish I understood them. This wonderful actor, Daisuke Ryu; is absolutely mesmerizing as he dances, holding a fan in his hand! Only Kurosawa could have directed it. The thief who is made Kagemusha had the best lines in this script; Tatsuya Makadai, on his knees but laughing. He responds to the Lord; who denounces him: "ME, the THIEF? I only steal coins, You steal whole domains!" What an unforgettable film!