A beautiful epic

Rating: 8/10 (12 July 2007)

Given that Akira Kurosawa's sight had deteriorated so much by the time he made this movie, it's astonishing what a beautiful film Ran turned out to be. Filmed nigh on entirely in long shots, every single frame looks like a celebrated painter's masterpiece come to life, each one bursting with colour. From such examples as the hill top debate which begins the film, where 16th Century Japanese royalty sit in brightly coloured robes before the sweeping green mountains or the sight of colour-coordinated Samurai armies ransacking a fortress in a silent, apocalyptic battle, right up to the achingly sad final shot before the credits, every second of Ran is a beauty to behold. That isn't to say it's a film that'll concern only those interested in poetic visual statements however, because it is also one of the director's best works and a landmark moment in Eastern cinema.
Basically an updating of Shakespeare's King Lear, the film sees the elderly Lord Hidetora Ichimonji deciding to hand over the reins of power to his three sons. His eldest, Taro, becomes the new Lord, while his younger sons Jiro and Saburo are each granted a province of their own to rule over. Saburo however protests, believing it to be a foolish decision that will split the clan and Hidetora banishes his third son. It isn't long however until Taro and Jiro's ambitions of power lead them to betray their father and the nation begins to fall apart, spurred on by Taro's manipulating wife lady Kaede.
Kurosawa thus blends Shakespearean tragedy with a sweeping historical epic about the loss and gain of power. At the centre of it all is a remarkable acting presence in the shape of Tatsuya Nakadai as the displaced elderly Samurai. At the beginning of the film he is a man of stubborn pride, but as his world crumbles and his people die, he soon finds himself with nowhere else to go. The emotional turbulence of being betrayed by his own flesh and blood drives him to his limits, but nevertheless he still refuses to contact Saburo because his warrior principles will not allow him. As a man in his twilight years, lost in the world, there is definitely some element of Kurosawa himself up there on screen, the director having been near the end of his career with his health failing and his wife having tragically passed away during shooting. Hidetora isn't a perfect ruler but as evidence of his cruelty and oppression during his reign mount up, he remains a sympathetic character, questioning his past decisions and what exactly it is he has achieved in his lifetime. He is the pillar that holds the film together and no mistake.
He is aided by some impressive performances all round. Daisuke Ryo's impetuous, outspoken but loyal Saburo is a highpoint of course even if his screen time is limited, spending the majority of the storyline in exile. Jinpachi Nezu's Jiro is another remarkable presence, equally proud and stubborn as his father but beset by insecurities and mistrust. The two that really standout however are Hisashi Igawa and Masayuki Yui as Jiro's General Kurogane and Saburo's Lieutenant Tango respectively. Kurogane is loyal soldier but he is a bit more complex than average because he knows that his master is a flawed and weak man, yet remains by his side to the bitter end. Tango on the other hand is an adviser who gets banished alongside Saburo, but who returns in the hour of need and goes through hell and high water to return his lord to safety.
Sad to say though that not every character feels truly grounded in reality as Mieko Harada's Lady Kaede is the film's weak link (and the reason I'm not giving it a nine). Her performance is spot on as Kaede is a cold, calculating woman with vengeance on her mind at the best of times, but there are one or two moments in the script where the writing isn't particularly strong. During one pivotal scene towards the middle, she comes dangerously close to parody, verging from one dramatic emotional outburst to another, ranting, screaming and licking blood from a knife wound.
Mercifully though, that is the only bad thing about this movie and fans of historical epics would do well to check it out. The battle scene that forms the centrepiece is absolutely breathtaking, with legions of Samurai warriors storming a castle in total silence. There are no sound effects, no speech, just the sad musical overture for the majority of the fighting, until a particularly important gun shot rings out and we are plunged right into the maelstrom. Bodies are filled with arrows, blood drips everywhere and hundreds of warriors are slaughtered in spectacular fashion. It may be a glorious sight to behold, but it is the closest thing a historical epic has got to showing that war is hell, no matter what period of human history it is set in.
The more blood thirsty among us may then be disappointed by the second clash towards the end, a far more unremarkable skirmish that promised to be incredible after several scenes of armies manoeuvring in anticipation but even so, Ran is unquestionably a masterpiece. It gets into the heads of men who hold tremendous power and puts all their complexities and failings under a microscope for the world to see. Like a watercolour painting that moves, it is beautiful to watch time and time again.