Ran
Ran is now the 8th Kurosawa film that I have watched and I believe the 7th since the calendar turned to 2024. He has quickly became one of my favorite directors of all time, and Ran is further evidence as to why. Coming in as my #3 Kurosawa movie behind Seven Samurai and High & Low, Ran may be his most beautiful looking film set in the open plains and the castles of feudal Japan, while also being the first of his film that I’ve seen that’s also in color.
Full of deceit and betrayal, this historical take on Shakespeare’s King Lear is one of the greatest epics I’ve ever seen in what is arguably my favorite genre of film. On top of being the most visually pleasing Kurosawa film, it has the best effects and samurai fight choreography that I have seen from him, which can also be attributed to it being almost 30 years after Seven Samurai for example. This is the second Shakespeare adaptation that I have seen from Kurosawa, and it is loads better than Throne of Blood in my opinion.
Ran will debut at #70 in my Top 100 in what was another masterpiece from one of the GOATs of filmmaking.
Rating: 96/100