Kagemusha
Akira Kurosawa's lauded feudal epic presents the tale of a petty thief who is recruited to impersonate Shingen, an aging warlord, in order to avoid attacks by competing clans. When Shingen dies, his generals reluctantly agree to have the impostor take over as the powerful ruler. He soon begins to appreciate life as Shingen, but his commitment to the role is tested when he must lead his troops into battle against the forces of a rival warlord.
Critics Sentiment
Dying kagemusha reaches for the furinkazan banner in the river
Kagemusha falls from Shingen's temperamental horse revealing his identity
The film rises dramatically from the contrived horse-riding revelation to the emotionally devastating and visually spectacular final battle sequences.
Kagemusha receives praise for its visual magnificence and Nakadai's dual performance, but suffers from pacing issues in its middle sections that some critics found tedious. The film builds to a universally acclaimed climax that showcases Kurosawa's mastery of epic filmmaking and emotional storytelling. Despite length concerns, most reviewers ultimately found it a worthy, if flawed, return to form for the legendary director.
Full cast
Showing 20 of 44
Tatsuya Nakadai
Shingen Takeda / Kagemusha
Tsutomu Yamazaki
Nobukado Takeda
Kenichi Hagiwara
Katsuyori Takeda
Jinpachi Nezu
Sohachiro Tsuchiya
Hideji Ōtaki
Masakage Yamagata
Daisuke Ryū
Nobunaga Oda
Masayuki Yui
Ieyasu Tokugawa
Kaori Momoi
Otsuyanokata
Mitsuko Baisho
Oyunokata
Hideo Murota
Nobufusa Baba
Takayuki Shiho
Masatoyo Naito
Kōji Shimizu
Katsusuke Atobe
Daikei Shimizu
Masatane Hara
Sen Yamamoto
Nobushige Oyamada
Shuhei Sugimori
Masanobu Kosaka
Kota Yui
Takemaru
Yasuhito Yamanaka
Ranmaru Mori
Kumeko Otowa
Takemaru's Nurse
Tetsuo Yamashita
Nagahide Niwa
Kai Ato
Zenjiro Amemiya
Crew
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