Disappointing

Rating: 6/10 (22 February 2003)

I am a big fan of Akira Kurosawa, and it has to be said that even Kagemusha, the worst Kurosawa film I have seen so far, is miles ahead of most current Hollywood cinema. But overall, this is something of a disappointment. Although the story itself is not bad, and it is all filmed majestically, the editing and pace of the movie is far too slow. The full version is almost three hours long, when the American version is way too long at only 2.5 hours. This really is the only gripe about the film, and if it were shorter it would be worthy of an 8 or 9 out of ten. As it is, this is not recommended unless you have a lot of patience.