A Shakespearean nightmare.

Rating: 7/10 (6 August 2019)

Though much is often made of its lavish battle scenes, at its heart 'Ran (1985)' is a family drama. In typical Shakespearean fashion (the film is loosely based on 'King Lear'), it just so happens that each core member of that family has an army at their disposal. Even so, the feature is surprisingly light on fights; political manoeuvring, personal backstabbing and threats of full-blown war are far more prevalent. Thankfully, this talking is, essentially, as riveting as any skirmish could hope to be. Of course, familial conflicts often devolve into - and are keenly presented as - physical ones. The stand-out of these is a nightmarish, blood-soaked and oddly ethereal sequence depicting what's essentially a massacre. Its almost madness-inducing mayhem is truly horrifying to behold, with numerous extremely violent vignettes aptly conveying the futility and immorality of the entire situation. This alarming scene kicks off an introspective odyssey for the protagonist, one that sees him almost comatose and forced to come to terms with the many sins he's committed. He isn't a good man - that much is evident even from just the small number of his skin-crawling crimes we actually hear about - but we're able to truly empathise with him, even when he's being pig-headed or brutish. That's because we understand how deeply the betrayals he experiences must cut; anyone would be shocked if their sons treated them the way (at least a couple of) his sons treat him. Make no mistake: this is a tragedy. The plot unfolds slowly, painfully but inevitably veering towards an increasingly bleak conclusion. Its haunting end evokes a sense that perhaps it was all some sort of punishment. However, such bloodshed affects all those near it, not just those that may deserve it. In this way, it never feels fair, it just feels real. It's compelling, strangely affecting and fantastically well-conceived. 7/10