Kagemusha

Title: Kagemusha
Rating: 3/5
Genre: Historical Drama
Starring: Tatsuya Nakadai
Director: Akira Kurosawa
Language: Japanese
Released: 1980

Kurosawa has become known as one of the most celebrated Japanese directors amongst western audiences, most notably with “Rashomon” and “Seven Samurai,” I must confess this is my first foray into his works and the conclusion is a complete disappointment. Knowing my predisposition towards films shot in black and white for non-artistic reasons, this later work shot in colour, requiring assistance from notable directors Spielberg and Coppola to fund this epic ‘masterpiece’ sounded highly promising. Unfortunately the result felt like a triumph of cinematography over story; many of the scenes carefully worked, with lengthy and carefully planned battle sequences taking precedence over the actual plot which ultimately felt detached, and perhaps interesting if not for its overly long (3 hour) running time.

Based on historical events towards the end of the feudal Japan era, the revered warlord Shingen Takeda (Nakadai) is at war with two rival warlords for control of the nation, employing the use of a number of doubles to fool his enemies into never knowing his location. It the character of Kagemusha (Nakadai) – one of his doubles – that takes centre-stage, a petty thief rescued from crucifixion for his resemblance to the warlord who is to be trained to be capable of mimicking their lord so that even those closest to him could not discern one from the other. The situation rapidly changes when Takeda is killed and Kagemusha is forced to take his place, in fear that without the respect that Takeda carries, news of his death would spread and his rivals would take advantage of the situation. Struggling to maintain an order of business in the same manner as his predecessor, the fate of their clan rests squarely on his shoulders.

With a superb performance from Nakadai, playing both lead characters with a seeming ease, first as the powerful and fear-inducing warlord and then – most notably – as the thief-turned-leader, desperately attempting to mimic him, he succeeds in creating two subtly discernable characters that feel indescribably different, no easy task and one that he succeeds in doing well. It is unfortunate that much of his backing cast performed so poorly by comparison; from the son eager to see him fall to his grandson initially suspicious of his identity. This succeeds in robbing many of the scenes of any dramatic impact that they might have, sensing the knife-edge they balance on in maintaining the illusion of his continued life; it fails to draw you in and involve the viewer, resulting in a detachment from the events unfolding.

A fanatic for historical accuracy, the huge $7million budget can be seen at work in the lavish landscapes created. In the times before CGI, epic battles were constructed using extras, and with quite literally thousands in every extended battle scene, complete with horses, gunfire and even battle tactics closely resembling the genuine article, all of this attention to detail is not only unusually impressive but all too evident in many of the extensive scenes. The soundtrack too, often wonderfully complements such scenes; a subtle classical tone left in the background to enhance the atmosphere of the section.

The main issue here is that of the script; attempts have been made to go deeper than just the bare story being told but all too often the extensive battle scenes – whilst a highlight – are exemplary of the problem. The three hour running time is longer than is required for the story to come across, and too little time is devoted to the core of the plot, relying on the intricately detailed armour and budget to sustain it. Congratulations Kurosawa, you’ve succeeded in transforming what should have been a fascinating insight into feudal Japan as it hangs in the balance, a film of ‘Godfather’ like proportions into a sterile and slow paced film, plodding along until its predictable conclusion.