I wouldn't hold it against you to split this 2 hr. 40 min. viewing into two separate sittings; I had to, because it's just an onslaught of despair for Lord Hidetora (based on King Lear). The battle at the First Castle, midway through the film, is utterly brutal, and Hidetora walking away in shock as the lone survivor is an image that will stay with me forever. Despite the endless melancholic tone, it remains an absolutely beautiful film with its stunning landscapes, colors, and hordes of extras.

Very very slow. Had to watch it in 3 takes. A lot of nothing. Wonder why everyone is raving about it. Probably because it's Kurosawa but far from his best. And there are better war movies. Glad I saw it but god that was long.

This is as perfect as they come and embodies the words "epic" and "tragedy." This film might have been far too intelligent and emotionally dark for the 80's when it was met with indifference by the mainstream. Kurosawa slipped in one more masterpiece before calling it quits on the epics. Every shot in this film is like a painting and the acting is flawless. This _is_ cinema.

Ranks with Harakiri as the best film from Japan. Whereas Kobayashi restricted his tragedy to a single family, Kurosawa provides no such barrier to the tide of misfortune and despair at the center of Ran. I don't think I've seen another film quite as nihilistic. In contrast to its ugly core is some truly stunning color photography. The castle battle is at once horrifying and breathtaking. It really does play like a "daytime nightmare". A powerful film with one of the greatest final shots ever.

My favorite Kurosawa film so far. Although not an extreme fan of Japanese culture, this movie is impressive. Technically it is amazing, showing the great talent of the director.

Ran is a bleak story of a kingdom destroyed by greed, power struggles and the ultimate violent tendancies of man. It's viscious nature and cycle of destruction means no one escapes damnation, as whatever faith or peace that is left in the world disappears into utter despair. But Kurosawa isn't quite so pessimistic as his source material, he sketches even this world of misery in the beauty of his mastery of color and reminds us if man can see his mistakes, then why cannot something better exist?

To me, after my first viewing, this is a masterpiece. Kurosawa's adaptation of Japanese tales combined with King Lear makes for a powerful story of guilt, ambition, chaos and the loneliness of man in a godless world. The spectacular landscapes, battle sequences and dazzling use of colour make this an experience for the eyes, the heart and the mind.

The best take on King Lear i've seen. Visually stunning epic.

Kinda slow at first, but very exciting towards the end.

Unbelievable mise-en-scene, incredible cinematography and use of color. (In fact, I don't think I've seen color used so well in any other film! It was almost sensual.) A bit slow at times.

I can see why it's so highly rated, but I for one thought Ran was too long and overly convoluted. I liked the general idea of the plot, but several dialogue-heavy scenes dragged on and it was hard to keep track of who all the supporting characters were, despite the primary colours. The film possessed many of the qualities of an epic but came across as too theatrical and failed to have either an emotional climax or something to say. Despite some impressive moments it left me cold and unengaged.

A very good movie. I'm not sure if my rating does it justice; my Japanese isn't very good so there were confusing parts.

Like a Japanese King Lear

The movie really captures the spirit of Shakespeare's "King Lear". Masterpiece!

Another Kurosawa epic, brilliant and pretty much perfect. I've yet to see another work of Shakespeare brought to life in such a way.

Sangue do mesmo sangue é derramado em cascatas – em determinadas cenas, literalmente. À tragédia humana Kurosawa empresta proporções shakespearianas (trata-se de uma livre adaptação de Rei Lear), e ao escopo formal, uma qualidade épica pesarosa.

Kurosawa's best.