adonis98-743-186503 In Medieval Japan, an elderly warlord retires, handing over his empire to his three sons. However, he vastly underestimates how the new-found power will corrupt them and cause them to turn on each other...and him. Ran is an almost 3 hour long movie of absolutely total nothing and it literally is nothing. I found myself getting bored from what was happening, the acting was very bland and the storyline even worse. This is no masterpiece or even just an ok and watchable japanese movie, instead it's a film that will bore viewers alot. (0/10)

cinemajesty Film Review: "Ran" (1985)Direcotor Akira Kurosawa (1910-1998) conquers the classic written by William Shakespeare (1564-1616) as another tragedy of "King Lear" firstly published and put to the stage in 1605, when translation into medieval feudalism-indulging Japan makes a motion picture classic in visual-striking production and costume design by Emi Wada to fulfill the story of Warlord Hidetora Ichimonji, performed by actor Tatsuya Nakadai, whose character leaves behind a kingdom with a fully-equipped military army in sword, spear and flags-of-property showing to his three incapable-to-rule sons throwing a region of inceptional tranquility and elegance into chaos, while the eldering warlord retreats in going mad at rural hide-out countryside location in amazingly-received impressionistic make-up-effects in favors for director Kurosawa, who shows impeccable as expressionistic genius in fulfilling a cinematic masterpiece in chamber-play as open-range war-scenarios after 160 minutes to a just blitz personalized feeling of mine to watch the film all over again.Copyright 2018 Cinemajsty Entertainments LLC

CinemaClown A period epic brought to life in exhausting detail, Akira Kurosawa's Ran is a splendidly crafted tale of power, corruption, treachery, vengeance & insanity and is efficiently realised on the film canvas with its meticulous set pieces, sweeping camera-work & committed performances but its overlong runtime & glacial pace may not go well with everyone.The story of Ran follows a powerful but elderly warlord who hands over his vast empire to his three sons after choosing to retire. Expecting his sons to maintain harmony amongst themselves & keep the kingdom united, he vastly underestimates the corrupting nature of power he had just bestowed upon them and haplessly watches them turn on each other as well as him.Co-written, edited & directed by Akira Kurosawa, Ran is an ambitious production by all means and Kurosawa leaves no stone unturned to recreate the era his narrative is set in. Making effective use of colour palette, long-shot photography, vast landscapes, period-specific costumes & extensive list of extras, it delivers as an epic but what benefits it most is the strong foundation in the script.Despite all the chaos brewing in the kingdom, Ran is mainly about the downfall of a once mighty king and covers his descent into madness. Taking inspiration from Shakespeare's play, it weaves an original storyline that's quite interesting and its central character's arc is just as compelling but the slow pace at which its plot unfurls and the many meanderings in the middle does make it a difficult sit at times.Coming to the acting department, the entire cast delivers sincere performances and play their part responsibly, with Tatsuya Nakadai impressing the most as the elderly warlord in what's a powerfully gripping & highly expressive rendering that nearly overshadows the input of the rest of the actors. Also worthy of mention is its background score that brims with a haunting vibe and aptly captures the film's somber mood.On an overall scale, Ran is a competently directed, deftly written, expertly layered, elegantly shot & brilliantly performed cinema that does many things right over the course of its 162 mins runtime but is still not without its shortcomings. There are moments in it that linger on for too long and the dull pace, even if it is deliberate, doesn't help its cause either. All in all, Akira Kurosawa's last epic is an ambitious showcase of power & madness but it isn't as rewarding as I expected it to be.

Leofwine_draca This was my fourth Kurosawa film and my favourite to date. Previously, I'd started off by watching SEVEN SAMURAI (a great film), then trying out KAGEMUSHA (which I thought was okay, but too constrained by budget). Next up was an early classic, RASHOMON, which was a fine human drama, and now comes RAN, Kurosawa's final historical epic and the film that he claimed KAGEMUSHA was a mere warm-up for. I can see that. RAN is an epic film, truly epic and one of the best-shot films I've ever seen. Every frame of the film seems to have been painstakingly composed and the result is a bright, colourful, and vivid production that fully brings to life the castles, costumes, and characters of feudal Japan.Tatsuya Nakadai, returning from KAGEMUSHA, here plays Lord Ichimonji, an immensely powerful ruler who concedes that power to his three sons at the film's beginning. However, his plans quickly go awry and before too long he finds himself ostracised from Japanese society and a literal outcast. This film is a loose reworking of the Shakespeare classic King Lear (another favourite of mine), something I really enjoyed as Kurosawa takes elements of the Shakespeare plot without following it slavishly. One of the best inclusions is the fool, who comments on the on-screen antics the same way as he did in the Shakespeare play.It goes without saying that RAN is a tragedy and, indeed, it must be one of the most tragic films I've ever witnessed. Those looking for a happy ending should go elsewhere as this is all about doom, despair, and overall the failings of human nature. There's a fine cast of stand-out performers but one of the best has to be Mieko Harada, whose Lady Macbeth-style character is vengeful and terrifying. Nakadai, unrecognisable in ghostly, age-old makeup, is outstanding as the lord losing his mind, and Kurosawa is there to capture every little nuance. The most dramatic part of the film is a massacre set in a castle which is full of on screen death and destruction and successfully depicts the ferocity of battle better than 99% of other films do.Like most of the Kurosawa historical epics, this is a lengthy and slow moving film, one that emphasis characterisation over action, plot over incident, but it's well worth sitting through. In the end, I found this one of the most rewarding films I've ever watched and anybody who professes themselves to be a fan of the cinematic medium should have it in their collection.