Month: October 2023

“I don’t care if it’s a lie as long as it’s entertaining.” —Commoner

Today’s quick review: Rashomon. Following the murder of a samurai (Masayuki Mori), four witnesses give testimony about the crime: the bandit Tajomaru (Toshiro Mifune), the samurai’s wife (Machiko Kyo), a medium (Noriko Honma) channeling the samurai’s spirit, and the woodcutter (Takashi Shimura) who found the body. However, every witness tells a different story, leaving the true events leading up to the murder in doubt.

Rashomon is a classic Japanese crime drama and mystery directed by Akira Kurosawa. On a rainy, oppressive day, a woodcutter, a priest (Minoru Chiaki), and a commoner (Kichijiro Ueda) try to make sense of a four seemingly irreconcilable accounts of the same brutal crime. Rashomon examines human cruelty and the nature of truth. Each version of the story shows a different kind of wickedness while further muddying the question of who is to blame.

Rashomon showcases the powerful direction Akira Kurosawa is known for. The film has no dead weight, only the framing device and a series of flashbacks depicting what happened when Tajomaru met the samurai and his wife in the woods. Subtle thematic touches support the ideas of the story and contribute to its atmosphere of uncertainty and despair. Yet the story remains very personal: a fateful altercation between three people and what it means.

All of this provides a foundation for what Rashomon truly excels at: asking questions. The film makes a few concrete statements about humanity, but it is largely open-ended. The meaning of each version of the story, what they say about the participants, and whether they point to failings in humanity as a whole are all questions that the audience has to anwer for itself. Viewers who enjoy this kind of analysis will find Rashomon deeply rewarding.

Rashomon takes a relatively simple premise and spins it into something complex and meaningful. How much you get of the film will depend on how much you are willing to put into it. Much of its value comes from interpreting it and testing its hypotheses. But even for a casual viewer, Rashomon is a finely crafted film with plenty to offer. Check it out.

For a martial arts action film that makes heavy use of unreliable narrators, try Hero. For a modern legal drama that cultivates ambiguity about the truth, try Primal Fear. For a cereberal crime thriller that explores similar themes, try Gone Baby Gone, Gone Girl, or The Interview.

[8.2 out of 10 on IMDB](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0042876/). I give it an 8.0 for skillful storytelling and layered themes.

“I won’t let this rice go to waste.” —Kambei Shimada

Today’s quick review: Seven Samurai. Faced with hardship and starvation, the farmers of a Japanese village set out to find samurai who can help them defend their barley harvest against the bandits who are coming to take it. They recruit Kambei Shimada (Takashi Shimura), a wise ronin, and six other samurai (Toshiro Mifune, Daisuke Kato, Isao Kimura, Minoru Chiaki, Seiji Miyaguchi, and Yoshio Inaba) to organize the defense of the village.

Seven Samurai is a classic Japanese samurai drama directed by Akira Kurosawa. The film follows a motley group of ronin who decide to help defend a poor farming village against the forty bandits planning to attack it. Seven Samurai features a rich and fully realized story, one that touches on human frailties and acts of heroism alike. Its solid plot and masterful cinematography make it well worth a watch for anyone willing to invest in it.

Seven Samurai has a knack for blending high-minded idealism with gritty reality. The premise is romantic: seven down-and-out samurai accept meager pay to help a besieged village. Their specific motives may vary, but they are all dedicated to the cause in their own way. Yet the world of the film is messy and imperfect. The farmers are pitiful in their poverty and their fear, and the combat scenes are full of chaos and misfortune.

All of this works perfectly with Akira Kurosawa’s direction. The film takes no shortcuts and never relies on gimmicks to tell its story. The camera is always exactly where it needs to be, and there are no wasted shots in the entire film. The result is a masterful piece of cinema that wins over the audience one step at a time. Seven Samurai is not as flashy as other movies, but its quiet craftsmanship and compelling story set it apart.

Seven Samurai is an excellent pick for a wide variety of viewers. Fans of finely crafted cinema will find it to be a treat simply on the quality of its execution. Those who prefer action will find plenty of it, along with human characters and moving drama. Its one major downside is the investment it requires, clocking in at over three hours. But for anyone with the patience, Seven Samurai is worth the effort.

Check out The Magnificent Seven for a remake of the film as a Western. For an artistic and dramatically powerful Japanese animated movie about the hardship that follows war, try Grave of the Fireflies. For a classic Western with a similar degree of craftsmanship, try The Good, the Bad and the Ugly.

[8.6 out of 10 on IMDB](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0047478/). I give it an 8.0 for a robust story and craftsmanship that is impossible to fault.