Now this is cool!

Rating: Null/10 (28 December 2002)

** POSSIBLE SPOILERS **
This happens to be my second Akira Kurosawa film. Unlike the one I viewed before it ("Seven Samurai"), "Ran" takes a look at the conflicts of Japanese aristocracy. Since it is based on William Shakespeare's "King Lear," I had to see this, (I also had to see it for my Asian history class) being a fan of Shakespeare.
The plot involves a warlord dividing up his land among his three sons, two of them are greedy and fake while the youngest remains faithful and loyal to his dad. Nonetheless, the loyal son gets banished and the other two sons wreck havoc on their lives as well as the lives of their allies and family members. The ending is tragic, like Shakespeare's "King Lear" as well as his other tragedies.
Kurosawa's films are absolutely soaked in realism, leaving no shred of romanticism behind. Almost everything pertains to Japanese history (well, Kurosawa is Japanese). Maybe I should word this better. Almost everything is of a historical nature, and being a history major, I enjoyed it.

The film is great and I'd recommend anyone who is interested in Asian history or foreign films.