Kagemusha
Seen it?1980 | 180 min | Action, Drama, History, War
Friday Night FlickWhy it’s a Friday Night Flick
Critics loved it (89% on Rotten Tomatoes), audiences rate it highly (7.8 out of 10), it drew serious awards attention and it's still drawing plenty of interest. Make plans for this one.
Based on critics, audiences, awards, box office and buzz. Details below.Is it for you?
- Who'll love it
- Made for action fans and history buffs. If you loved Amadeus or Henry V, start here. Critics rate it higher than audiences do, so it rewards patience more than it chases thrills.
- The mood
- Intense.
- The pace
- Epic and sweeping, at 3 hr.
- What might put you off
- Rated PG: peril. Worth a look first if you have very young kids.
- It's long: 3 hr.
- It's in Japanese, so expect subtitles (or a dub).
A feudal epic presenting the tale of a petty thief who is recruited to impersonate Shingen, an aging warlord, in order to avoid attacks by competing clans. The impostor becomes comfortable living his life among nobility, but his responsibilities to his station grow more demanding the longer he occupies it.
How it earned its rating
- CriticsVery strong
89% on Rotten Tomatoes, 84 on Metacritic
- AudiencesStrong
7.8 out of 10
- AwardsStrong
Won 2 BAFTAs: British Academy Film Awards: Best Direction, British Academy Film Awards: Best Costume Design. Won 1 Cannes award: Cannes Film Festival: Best Costume Design. Also nominated for 2 Oscars, 1 Golden Globe and 2 more BAFTAs. Plus 8 other awards.
- Box office & staying powerBelow par
$4 million worldwide on a $6 million budget; still draws a steady audience long after release
- Buzz & cultural impactStrong
About 149K people sought it out in the past year
Trailer
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Cast & crew
Directed by Akira Kurosawa
- Tatsuya NakadaiShingen Takeda / Kagemusha
- Tsutomu YamazakiNobukado Takeda
- Kenichi HagiwaraKatsuyori Takeda
- Jinpachi NezuSohachiro Tsuchiya
- Hideji ŌtakiMasakage Yamagata
- Daisuke RyūNobunaga Oda
- Masayuki YuiIeyasu Tokugawa
- Kaori MomoiOtsuyanokata
- Mitsuko BaishoOyunokata
- Hideo MurotaNobufusa Baba