Facebook Twitter Instagram
    Latest
    • 3627. I Believe In Miracles (2015)
    • 3626. The Man With One Red Shoe (1985)
    • 3625. Ode To Joy (2019)
    • 3624. One Chance (2013)
    • 3623. Falling For Figaro (2020)
    • 3622. The Polka King (2017)
    • 3621. Spies In Disguise (2019)
    • 3620. Friendzone (2021)
    The Mad Movie Man
    • Home
    • Blog
      • All Posts
      • Best Of The Year
        • Best Of 2015
        • Best Of 2016
        • Best Of 2017
        • Best Of 2018
        • Best Of 2019
        • Best Of 2020
        • Best Of 2021
        • Best Of 2022
      • The Decade In Review
      • Box Office Analysis
      • James Bond
      • Oscars
      • RANKED
      • Star Wars
      • The Big Questions
      • Top 10
      • World Cinema
    • Ratings
      • Top 250
      • Top 100 Foreign Films
      • Bottom 50
      • 0 – 1.9
      • 2 – 3.9
      • 4 – 5.9
      • 6 – 7.9
      • 8 – 10
    • Genres
      • Action
      • Anthology
      • Animation
      • Christmas
      • Comedy
      • Crime
      • Documentary
      • Drama
      • Fantasy
      • Film-Noir
      • History
      • Horror
      • Kids’
      • Musical
      • Psychological
      • Romance
      • Sci-Fi
      • Short
      • Silent
      • Sport
      • Superhero
      • Survival
      • Thriller
      • Western
    • Release Year
      • 2020s
      • 2010s
      • 2000s
      • 1990s
      • 1980s
      • 1970s
      • 1960s
      • 1950s
      • 1940s
      • 1930s
      • 1920s
    • Country
      • Afghanistan
      • Argentina
      • Australia
      • Austria
      • Belgium
      • Brazil
      • Cambodia
      • Canada
      • Chile
      • China
      • Colombia
      • Costa Rica
      • Czechoslovakia
      • Czech Republic
      • Denmark
      • East Timor
      • Faroe Islands
      • Finland
      • France
      • Germany
      • Georgia
      • Greece
      • Hong Kong
      • Hungary
      • Iceland
      • India
      • Indonesia
      • Iran
      • Iraq
      • Ireland
      • Israel
      • Italy
      • Japan
      • Latvia
      • Lebanon
      • Laos
      • Malaysia
      • Mexico
      • New Zealand
      • Nigeria
      • North Korea
      • Norway
      • Paraguay
      • Peru
      • Philippines
      • Poland
      • Romania
      • Russia
      • Saudi Arabia
      • Singapore
      • South Korea
      • South Africa
      • Soviet Union
      • Spain
      • Sweden
      • Switzerland
      • Syria
      • Taiwan
      • Thailand
      • Turkey
      • Uganda
      • United Kingdom
      • United States
      • Uruguay
      • Vietnam
      • Zambia
    • About
    The Mad Movie Man
    You are at:Home»Review»1800. Ran (乱) (1985)

    1800. Ran (乱) (1985)

    0
    By The Mad Movie Man on June 27, 2017 160-169 mins, 1985, 6 - 7.9, Action, Drama, Japan, Jun 17, Movies Of 2017, Review
    7.9 Spectacular
    • Acting 7.9
    • Directing 8.1
    • Story 7.8
    • User Ratings (0 Votes) 0

    Starring: Tatsuya Nakadai, Akira Terao, Jinpachi Nezu

    Director: Akira Kurosawa

    Running Time: 164 mins


    Ran is a Japanese film about an elderly warlord who hands down power to his three sons, however chaos ensues when they turn on each other as well as him.

    Power struggles always make for absolutely fascinating stories, but Ran is a totally different animal. An adaptation of Shakespeare’s King Lear that also takes from Japanese legends and the history of the Warring States Period, legendary director Akira Kurosawa does an incredible job at bringing the story to life with spectacular visuals and drama from start to finish, and although the film may not be the world’s most rapid-fire and wholly engrossing, it’s an incredible experience that sums up everything that made Kurosawa such a great.

    Let’s start there, with the director himself. Largely famed for his movies of the 1950s and early 60s, Kurosawa’s later career was one filled with complex, abstract and incredibly artistic productions. However, Ran is the coming together of every single one of his greatest genres. Utilising his incredible hold on pre-modern Japan and the samurai to excellent effect, all the while bringing in an epic and powerfully tragic atmosphere that is completely absent in the likes of Seven Samurai, Kurosawa makes for a spectacular experience from start to finish, as we witness betrayal, seduction, infighting and utter chaos throughout.

    Above all, Ran is an absolute feast for the eyes. As strong and powerful a tragedy it is, the way in which Kurosawa gives the film such a striking visual style at every moment is without a doubt the most memorable element of the film. Whether it be the beautiful and elegant shots of the countryside and castles in the film’s opening sequence, or the total madness of war and chaos as the film goes on, Kurosawa does an incredible job at making it all seem so spectacular.

    What’s most striking about Ran in comparison to the likes of Seven Samurai, however, is just how violent and brutal it is. With barely a breath of hope at any moment, Kurosawa never relents in showing the true horror that can arise when absolute power corrupts, stretching to incredible lengths as we see characters brutally slain right before our eyes, the desperation of a once powerful man thrust into total shock and despair, or the blood red horror of war that takes a once peaceful region to its knees.

    In fact, the colours of the film play such a significant role in creating the film’s spectacular atmosphere, and it’s not just Kurosawa that makes that happen. While he does an exceptional job at using two main colours of red and grey throughout the film to mark chaos and desperation respectively, those visual themes are reinforced wherever you look. Above all, the costume design and make-up is absolutely amazing, as the film features arguably cinema’s most visually striking character of all time, the increasingly desperate and shocked Great Lord who is thrown out of power far more brutally than he could have ever imagined when relinquishing control to his heirs.

    The performance by Tatsuya Nakadai is amazing at every moment, and his transformation from a strong samurai to a man suffering from the guilt of his own past as well as the absolute horror that has been created by the men he left power to is so powerful. However, it’s his physical appearance, and the way it changes throughout, that makes the character so memorable. With his chiseled and strong demeanour at first, the Great Lord is a force to be reckoned with, but the way in which his character then undergoes such a stunning physical transformation, suffering from starvation and eventually emotional trauma is an exceptional element of the film.

    From a once strong feudal lord to the bare bones of a human being, and the grey, absent appearance of nothing more than a ghost, the costume designers and make-up team do an incredible job to make the man look like something we’ve never seen so vividly on screen before, and in tandem with Nakadai’s fantastic performance, it makes for a spectacular experience from start to finish.

    However, there is one thing that looms over this film at every moment, its length. Given that its premise is so beautifully simple, it seems strange that the story would take nearly three hours to tell. However, that’s not entirely to its detriment. While the film may be tiring and extremely long, occasionally a little too much so at times, the genius of taking things so slowly is that the deeper, more emotional themes of the movie have time to come to the forefront.

    While the thrill of the action and the brutal political manoeuvres is incredible to watch, the slower and quieter sequences in which we see the Great Lord begin to question his own actions, and watch on in horror as his life is turned more upside down than he could ever imagine, the tragic elements of the story really shine through, making this film so much more than just a spectacular visual masterpiece, but a film that has real depth and drama to it. It may take a lot of effort at times to keep fully engaged in some of the slowest sequences, but believe me, it’s all very much worth it, as Ran is an absolutely spectacular achievement by Akira Kurosawa, and that’s why I’m giving it a 7.9.

    Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email
    The Mad Movie Man
    • Website
    • Facebook
    • Twitter

    The Mad Movie Man, AKA Anthony Cullen, writes articles and reviews about movies and the world of cinema. Since January 1st, 2013, he has watched and reviewed a movie every day. This is the blog dedicated to the project: www.madmovieman.com

    Related Posts

    7.1

    3627. I Believe In Miracles (2015)

    5.8

    3626. The Man With One Red Shoe (1985)

    7.9

    3625. Ode To Joy (2019)

    Follow Me Online!
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
    • Tumblr
    New Releases
    5.3
    January 17, 2022

    3620. Friendzone (2021)

    7.1
    January 10, 2022

    3612. The Lost Daughter (2021)

    8.0
    January 7, 2022

    3609. Licorice Pizza (2021)

    7.2
    January 7, 2022

    3608. Lamb (2021)

    7.4
    December 30, 2021

    3599. The King’s Man (2021)

    6.3
    December 29, 2021

    3598. The Matrix Resurrections (2021)

    8.4
    December 28, 2021

    3597. West Side Story (2021)

    6.3
    December 27, 2021

    3596. Gunpowder Milkshake (2021)

    Recommended Movies
    8.7
    Review
    June 27, 20200

    3000. The Deer Hunter (1978)

    8.6
    Review
    May 20, 20150

    964. On The Town (1949)

    8.0
    Review
    December 26, 20140

    795. The Interview (2014)

    8.0
    Review
    January 31, 20200

    2839. Taylor Swift: Miss Americana (2020)

    8.1
    Review
    August 31, 20130

    270. Chinatown (1974)

    Popular Posts
    7.1
    January 24, 2022

    3627. I Believe In Miracles (2015)

    5.8
    January 23, 2022

    3626. The Man With One Red Shoe (1985)

    7.9
    January 22, 2022

    3625. Ode To Joy (2019)

    7.4
    January 21, 2022

    3624. One Chance (2013)

    6.3
    January 20, 2022

    3623. Falling For Figaro (2020)

    7.5
    January 19, 2022

    3622. The Polka King (2017)

    6.0
    January 18, 2022

    3621. Spies In Disguise (2019)

    © 2022 ThemeSphere. Designed by ThemeSphere.

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.