Ran (1985)

The 4K restoration of Kurosawa's King Lear adaptation makes the violent, hellish story of betrayal and retribution pop with vivid colors and massive battle scenes using real horses and soldiers. It is gripping and not quite Shakespeare but never boring.

The critic praises Kurosawa’s adaptation of King Lear as a director’s film packed with brutal violence, tragedy, intrigue, comedy and betrayal. Visual mastery stands out through sweeping shots of banners, armies and shifting colour palettes that heighten the emotional intensity.

The critic calls it an absolute triumph and Kurosawa's last great masterpiece, a Shakespearean epic of betrayal and chaos that remains a film of rare greatness. They single out the monumental scale of the production, the masterful control of vast dramatic and visual elements, and the ferocious performances for particular praise.

The critic praises Ran as Kurosawa’s final masterpiece and a stunning meditation on humanity’s capacity for destruction. They single out its grand visual and emotional scale, drawn from Shakespeare and Japanese history, with no easy salvation for the viewer.

The critic hails it as a superb re-working of King Lear and a glorious culmination of the director's career, at once brisk and elegiac, intimate and epic. He singles out the images as beautiful and terrifying as any captured on film and the impeccable performances.

The critic calls it a great, glorious achievement that Kurosawa could perhaps only have made at 75. He singles out the director's command of epic battle scenes contrasted with intimate chamber drama, and the freshness brought by samurai costumes and Noh-inspired makeup.

Kurosawa's 1985 King Lear adaptation in feudal Japan is a self-canonizing masterpiece whose epic battle sequences and visual poetry exceed mere spectacle. The critic singles out the painterly cinematography, Nakadai's delicate descent into madness, and Takemitsu's haunting score for particular praise.

Kurosawa's re-release offers a stunning, darker adaptation of King Lear with staggering battle sequences and a pessimistic tone drawn from Macbeth. The gender shift to sons foregrounds violence and machismo over feminine sympathy.

The critic admires the monumental, conceptualized scale of the film viewed from a detached, heaven-like perspective, praising the fastidious preparation, color-coded armies, and extravagantly beautiful battle imagery that pays off despite the tragic story.

The critic describes it as a film of grandeur evoking the greatest epics in cinema history, with the terrible logic and clarity of a morality tale and the visual mastery of a myth that remains ageless. He notes the astonishing physical spectacle and integrated battle scenes.

The review calls the film a dazzlingly successful addition to Kurosawa’s career at age 75. It singles out the superbly staged battle sequences and gripping court drama and intrigue.

The critic praises Kurosawa's visually stunning and perfectly composed adaptation of King Lear, highlighting its timeless quality and masterful craft. They single out the breathtaking visuals and composition for praise.

Kurosawa's epic reworking of King Lear is one of the greatest works of art in cinematic history, a mythic yet clear-eyed tragedy of a warlord's self-inflicted downfall and the chaos it unleashes. The film stands out for its grand scale, fusion of ideas, and unusual clarity of perspective amid the madness.

The critic calls Ran a staggering achievement and Kurosawa's grandest and most impressive film, praising its epic scale, visual storytelling, and how it culminates the director's career. They single out the masterful battle sequences and the film's magnificent use of color.