Kagemusha (1980)

When a powerful warlord in medieval Japan dies, a poor thief recruited to impersonate him finds difficulty living up to his role and clashes with the spirit of the warlord during turbulent times.
Cast and Information
Directed By: Akira Kurosawa
Written By: Akira Kurosawa, Masato Ide
Starring: Takashi Shimura, Tatsuya Nakadai, Kamatari Fujiwara, Tsutomu Yamazaki, Hideji Ôtaki, Mitsuko Baishô, Kaori Momoi, Jinpachi Nezu, Ken'ichi Hagiwara, Daisuke Ryû, Masayuki Yui, Takayuki Shiho
AKA: The Shadow Warrior
Country: Japan
Where to Stream
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Kagemusha belongs to 67 collections
1. Criterion Collection (public: moderated by caffe - 159 stars)
2. Palme d'Or (public: moderated by mpowell - 75 stars)
3. They Shoot Pictures 1,000 Greatest Films (2008 revision) (public: moderated by Scottathon - 38 stars)
4. They Shoot Pictures 1,000 Greatest Films (2010 revision) (public: moderated by MMAlpha - 32 stars)
5. New York Times' The Best 1,000 Movies Ever Made (public: moderated by theficionado - 31 stars)
6. Netflix Instant (public: moderated by somnivore - 29 stars)
7. They Shoot Pictures 1,000 Greatest Films (2014 revision) (public: moderated by Jehan - 27 stars)
8. They Shoot Pictures 1,000 Greatest Films (2012 revision) (public: moderated by PeaceAnarchy - 25 stars)
9. They Shoot Pictures 1,000 Greatest Films (2017 revision) (public: moderated by iconogassed - 22 stars)
10. Criterion Collection (Blu-ray) (public: moderated by epiphany - 19 stars)
11. Kinema Junpo 200 Greatest Japanese films (2009 list) (public: moderated by PeaceAnarchy - 16 stars)
12. They Shoot Pictures 1,000 Greatest Films (2013 revision) (public: moderated by rant1229 - 16 stars)
13. Best of criticker: Drama (public: moderated by avgcrtckr - 16 stars)
14. They Shoot Pictures 1,000 Greatest Films (2011 revision) (public: moderated by PeaceAnarchy - 14 stars)
15. Samurai (public: moderated by mpowell - 12 stars)
16. Films available in HD (public: moderated by kubricksucks - 12 stars)
17. films101.com's 5 star films (public: moderated by ppinocchio - 11 stars)
18. Epic Battles (public: moderated by doctor7 - 9 stars)
19. Epic (public - 8 stars)
20. Best Foreign Film Oscar Nominees (public: moderated by snallygaster - 8 stars)
21. List: Taschen (public: moderated by KasperL - 6 stars)
22. Best of criticker: War (public: moderated by avgcrtckr - 6 stars)
23. They Shoot Pictures 1,000 Greatest Films (2007 revision) (public: moderated by Scottathon - 4 stars)
24. Men+ (public: moderated by BeeDub - 4 stars)
25. 16th century period film (public: moderated by djross - 3 stars)
26. Old directors (70+) (public: moderated by von krogh - 3 stars)
27. Japanese director (public: moderated by iconogassed - 3 stars)
28. One Actor, Multiple Roles (public: moderated by iconogassed - 2 stars)
29. César Award for Best Foreign Film (public: moderated by juandr - 2 stars)
30. J. Castedo's "The Top 100 Films of the 20th Century" (public: moderated by CCLZA - 1 star)
31. A Year of Essential Cinema (public: moderated by Ibetolis1 - 1 star)
32. Cannes 1980 Official Selection (public)
33. Roger Ebert's Top 10 Films of 1980 (public)
34. Japanese submissions for Best Foreign Language Film Oscar (public: moderated by zae)
35. noike/caffes Topp 100 filmer! (public: moderated by Aron Ericson)
36. NETFLIX QUEUE (public: moderated by estragon)
37. One Word Titled Films (public: moderated by Dunstan-xxx)
38. Jidaigeki (public: moderated by tirefeet)
39. Available to watch on Divicast (public: moderated by Dunstan-xxx)
40. They Shoot Pictures 1,000 Greatest Films (2020 revision) (private: djross - 11 stars)
41. Netflix USA (private: mpowell - 8 stars)
42. Best by different standards (private: sesito71 - 4 stars)
43. Criterion Collection (Blu-ray and 4K) (private: PepeCamello - 3 stars)
44. mwgerb's Netflix Instant Queue (private: mwgerb - 2 stars)
45. explorer nflix queue (private: explorer - 1 star)
46. 1: Must-see (Not in English) (private: KasperL - 1 star)
47. Akira Kurosawa (private: kendell - 1 star)
48. Intended Viewings (private: Grit)
49. prowler's DVDs (private: prowler)
50. Foreign - Japanese (private: NhanLa)
51. 2C (private: twisp)
52. 1980: Year in Review (private: polanski28)
53. My DVD Collection (private: balseiros)
54. My collection (private: pitkju2)
55. Filmspotting Ratings Project: Week 29 (private: PeaceAnarchy)
56. BF-80 (private: caffe)
57. Movies I Own (private: Farzan)
58. Netflix List (private: Walser14)
59. KENDELL'S MASSIVE LIST (private: kendell)
60. Djross Japanese feature films I've seen (private: djross)
61. Forrest Watch List (private: ForrestQ)
62. old Japan (private: kendell)
63. Films Dunstan Owns (private: Dunstan-xxx)
64. Cast aAwayAdam (private: rnest)
65. Blu-Rays (private: katatonic)
66. Watchlist (private: Panunzio)
67. 1980s Mile High Club (private: Dunstan-xxx)
Browse the full list of collections
Date | User | Rating | |
May 19 | Timedylan | 95 87% |
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May 15 | jonrock411 | 94 95% |
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Apr 24 | ![]() |
Nroo | 78 71% |
Apr 19 | ![]() |
Forrestw2rs | 94 84% |
Apr 10 | ![]() |
Ashitek | 90 96% |
Mar 29 | ![]() |
erenboi | 9 82% |
Mar 27 | ![]() |
Erenov | 95 89% |
Mar 27 | mrzo68 | 89 63% |
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Mar 19 | Blondone86 | 75 87% |
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Mar 14 | Platinum70 | 91 79% |
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Mar 05 | ![]() |
Dede23 | 89 97% |
Mar 02 | Antidistinct | 80 76% |
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Feb 25 | Flooki64 | 70 55% |
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Feb 20 | ![]() |
zzzorf | 50 26% |
Feb 13 | Gossamer | 3 84% |
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Jan 30 | Icarius | 76 86% |
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Jan 26 | ![]() |
Florin92 | 74 82% |
Jan 25 | sellis | 83 68% |
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Awe-inspiring visuals, which is to be expected. However, I don't know how necessary the final half hour is? The main character's story is over by that point. An impressive set piece and haunting visuals follow, which are fine and all - but narratively-speaking, I'd argue it's unnecessary.
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Jan 19 | dracular | 60 74% |
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Jan 17 | ![]() |
Mochard | 70 73% |
Jan 09 | SMTHNG8 | 100 0% |
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Jan 07 | TGFVG- | 2 65% |
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Jan 07 | ![]() |
pileofzack | 92 86% |
Jan 06 | ![]() |
Svengali | 66 55% |
Jan 04 | cjhlambert | 80 65% |
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Dec 31, 2021 | ![]() |
samouraiii | 88 58% |
Dec 27, 2021 | ![]() |
dcatcher | 77 89% |
Dec 09, 2021 | ![]() |
omeremre | 65 41% |
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Teodor | 100 93% |
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fatyoshi | 9 94% |
Nov 19, 2021 | ![]() |
NickChengdu | 82 97% |
Nov 19, 2021 | ![]() |
niebaotan | 78 95% |
Nov 16, 2021 | AlexSh25 | 80 74% |
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Nov 09, 2021 | ![]() |
KateMossFan4 | 30 55% |
Oct 21, 2021 | flipperrbm | 7 84% |
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Oct 14, 2021 | ![]() |
Recep | 90 89% |
Oct 01, 2021 | ![]() |
IMDBv2 | 80 91% |
Sep 13, 2021 | Stenen06 | 83 75% |
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Aug 31, 2021 | neven94 | 80 53% |
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Aug 28, 2021 | Gorro | 83 89% |
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Aug 25, 2021 | derektripp | 64 49% |
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Aug 17, 2021 | Phalanx | 55 50% |
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Aug 12, 2021 | Nolan69420 | 88 96% |
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Aug 12, 2021 | ![]() |
TJ monster | 92 99% |
Jul 26, 2021 | ![]() |
exolstice | 90 94% |
Jul 20, 2021 | stopbutton | 75 77% |
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Jul 13, 2021 | ariamarcella | 98 98% |
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Jul 10, 2021 | teravis | 100 81% |
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Jul 02, 2021 | ermiaroshan | 81 31% |
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Jun 27, 2021 | ![]() |
Lef | 100 88% |
Jun 25, 2021 | ![]() |
NikStellar | 100 91% |
Jun 23, 2021 | DSonla | 77 80% |
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Jun 14, 2021 | sabriglsvn | 75 52% |
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Jun 06, 2021 | Grum | 75 72% |
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May 28, 2021 | ![]() |
tardini | 85 97% |
May 27, 2021 | goldfinger | 60 34% |
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May 07, 2021 | ![]() |
MC23 | 70 36% |
May 01, 2021 | karltomas | 60 43% |
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Apr 30, 2021 | ![]() |
Rivette | 80 93% |
Apr 10, 2021 | LordKubrick | 82 44% |
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Apr 08, 2021 | VenikNV | 90 87% |
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Apr 04, 2021 | coldesser | 80 0% |
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Mar 24, 2021 | Drops | 80 46% |
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Mar 14, 2021 | ![]() |
Blair | 87 75% |
Mar 06, 2021 | ![]() |
selcukburcak | 82 77% |
Mar 05, 2021 | Tan Solo | 100 98% |
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Feb 25, 2021 | ![]() |
TreyAtwood | 80 80% |
Feb 03, 2021 | LarsVonTrier | 2 29% |
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Jan 24, 2021 | ![]() |
saeed7395 | 83 80% |
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kate_p | 83 93% |
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JJ1986 | 70 77% |
Jan 15, 2021 | gadelat | 41 18% |
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Jan 14, 2021 | ![]() |
lineuphere | 68 57% |
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PepeCamello | 70 71% |
Jan 06, 2021 | ![]() |
selingoknar | 73 61% |
Jan 03, 2021 | Cheezy Dub | 60 41% |
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Dec 30, 2020 | ![]() |
SemihBoz | 80 86% |
Dec 24, 2020 | ![]() |
blueandred | 3 64% |
Nov 28, 2020 | ![]() |
rafaelbastos | 80 44% |
Nov 27, 2020 | ![]() |
Farsheed | 80 67% |
Nov 21, 2020 | napouser | 40 40% |
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Nov 21, 2020 | filmsincabi | 88 48% |
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Oct 19, 2020 | TBRonin | 82 69% |
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Oct 15, 2020 | rospo | 70 76% |
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Sep 28, 2020 | ![]() |
Opio | 70 77% |
Sep 25, 2020 | valero | 65 35% |
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Sep 11, 2020 | Yondu4 | 80 39% |
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Aug 20, 2020 | ![]() |
zent | 85 76% |
Aug 18, 2020 | noteventime | 72 73% |
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Aug 10, 2020 | belfastboy | 70 65% |
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Aug 10, 2020 | ![]() |
biftek | 75 63% |
Aug 04, 2020 | ![]() |
umidgurbanov | 65 44% |
Aug 03, 2020 | ![]() |
Grumblebutt | 90 88% |
Jul 27, 2020 | Kianoto | 73 75% |
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Jul 11, 2020 | eatbeans | 8 70% |
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Jul 04, 2020 | ![]() |
Risselada | 55 24% |
Jul 01, 2020 | ![]() |
ZephSilver | 70 73% |
Jun 30, 2020 | ![]() |
sheeper | 70 38% |
Jun 23, 2020 | ![]() |
cngrms | 70 0% |
Jun 19, 2020 | ![]() |
matthewmj336 | 89 64% |
Jun 13, 2020 | D Lightman | 70 70% |
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Jun 12, 2020 | ![]() |
rosenritter | 7 69% |
A languid and melancholy film about a warlord's retainers trying to uphold an ideal that has been hollowed out by the death of the man that embodied it. Not at all riveting like other Kurosawa epics. Has anti-narrative qualities like major events left offscreen (including battles) and a barely characterized cipher for a main character. There are attributes of a masterpiece here but no other Kurosawa film has taken me this much effort to appreciate. (Stephen Prince commentary track helped a lot)
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Jun 08, 2020 | ![]() |
sspiegel | 85 97% |
Jun 07, 2020 | ![]() |
n.hilal | 94 86% |
Jun 07, 2020 | ![]() |
TheShiznit | 70 94% |
May 31, 2020 | Bubu | 84 73% |
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May 23, 2020 | qwertyes | 80 78% |
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May 22, 2020 | ![]() |
Omid Ranjbar | 60 74% |
May 21, 2020 | turand | 86 75% |
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May 09, 2020 | ![]() |
clayj41 | 82 86% |
May 05, 2020 | darklink64 | 65 23% |
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May 01, 2020 | Mr Vincent | 85 87% |
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Apr 12, 2020 | ![]() |
DarrenCB | 100 98% |
Apr 02, 2020 | ![]() |
FutureCritic | 65 32% |
Mar 30, 2020 | ![]() |
Hamidso | 93 97% |
Mar 28, 2020 | spearmint | 50 49% |
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Mar 25, 2020 | ![]() |
LuxNatalis | 60 58% |
Mar 23, 2020 | ![]() |
solipsist | 60 26% |
Mar 18, 2020 | ![]() |
FreddieQuell | 80 75% |
Mar 16, 2020 | ![]() |
hellscreamtr | 80 42% |
Mar 13, 2020 | hlyos | 96 56% |
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Mar 10, 2020 | magicalpanda | 94 57% |
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Mar 02, 2020 | synthono | 86 80% |
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Feb 27, 2020 | ![]() |
Hyperion+ | 4 68% |
Feb 09, 2020 | ![]() |
djross | 55 51% |
Some very impressive staging and imagery, in particular the dream sequence, but the story, about guys doing some guy stuff, is lacking, the underlying themes have limited interest, and, regardless of the numbers of extras and horses hired, the aesthetic too often veers towards kitsch.
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Feb 08, 2020 | Edueccì | 75 85% |
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Feb 02, 2020 | tammineni | 80 68% |
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Jan 21, 2020 | Noirezcent | 95 98% |
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Jan 16, 2020 | ![]() |
hamedgolsha | 81 68% |
Jan 13, 2020 | w2727 | 56 22% |
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Jan 10, 2020 | Bolido | 80 71% |
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Jan 08, 2020 | ![]() |
mfjlefou | 70 48% |
Jan 02, 2020 | colmener | 80 78% |
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Dec 26, 2019 | spwnofstan | 77 66% |
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Dec 22, 2019 | emrevaki | 100 82% |
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Dec 18, 2019 | OlivVerdys | 80 94% |
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Dec 16, 2019 | ![]() |
akjn | 75 65% |
Dec 14, 2019 | ![]() |
MatteoFalls | 89 70% |
Dec 13, 2019 | CineLounge | 72 73% |
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Dec 08, 2019 | ![]() |
kcar181 | 80 47% |
Nov 03, 2019 | escd | 100 94% |
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Nov 01, 2019 | ![]() |
istavritos | 83 87% |
Oct 28, 2019 | ![]() |
homeros | 90 81% |
Oct 28, 2019 | ![]() |
Mr. Mxyzptlk | 100 0% |
Oct 24, 2019 | ![]() |
Dionysoss | 80 84% |
Oct 23, 2019 | ![]() |
Kylts | 80 86% |
Oct 05, 2019 | ![]() |
skap | 70 37% |
Kagemusha had no excuse for not being great, so I'm gonna be hard on it. The basic plot is elegant and promises a psychologically intense experience. Unfortunately, the realization is not up to it. Even the dramatically relevant scenes lack some backbone, and these are so diluted with irrelevant generic epic stuff you are hardly awake to really catch them. The Oda Nobunaga related historical references (as well as the acting) are distracting and annoyingly scholar.
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Oct 03, 2019 | pjotor | 80 87% |
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Oct 01, 2019 | Ace666 | 80 82% |
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Sep 30, 2019 | opensecret | 90 97% |
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Sep 25, 2019 | ![]() |
overrated | 76 85% |
Sep 25, 2019 | danialinho | 76 92% |
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Sep 23, 2019 | ![]() |
HKi | 80 92% |
Sep 20, 2019 | Ulfman | 80 79% |
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Sep 07, 2019 | ![]() |
normatic | 60 37% |
Aug 28, 2019 | StuPod | 90 77% |
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Aug 26, 2019 | Demokan | 99 98% |
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Aug 24, 2019 | sven_usling | 90 93% |
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Aug 22, 2019 | ![]() |
MzeeShikamu | 75 56% |
Aug 19, 2019 | ![]() |
wintersunset | 70 62% |
Aug 16, 2019 | ![]() |
larmor | 78 77% |
Aug 15, 2019 | account2 | 52 43% |
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Aug 10, 2019 | EvilAsh | 35 7% |
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Aug 09, 2019 | ![]() |
bal3x | 70 73% |
Aug 07, 2019 | intheboolite | 75 76% |
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Jul 31, 2019 | ![]() |
mike365365 | 74 81% |
Jul 30, 2019 | ![]() |
Deadmarsh | 70 64% |
Jul 16, 2019 | david.cece | 95 20% |
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Jul 10, 2019 | ![]() |
erycebeci | 80 53% |
Jul 03, 2019 | quisqualate | 75 67% |
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Jun 28, 2019 | xombiemonkey | 7 55% |
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Jun 27, 2019 | mbramhald13 | 90 88% |
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Jun 10, 2019 | Hojji77 | 86 63% |
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Jun 07, 2019 | ![]() |
Nangijala | 70 66% |
May 28, 2019 | ![]() |
Teproc | 58 46% |
May 26, 2019 | ![]() |
Angliche92 | 80 79% |
May 25, 2019 | ![]() |
Lamentable M | 91 74% |
May 09, 2019 | ![]() |
Basp | 50 11% |
Apr 27, 2019 | damhar | 80 93% |
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Apr 23, 2019 | AHALE80 | 70 34% |
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Apr 11, 2019 | YogiJogg | 60 54% |
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Mar 24, 2019 | jonmase | 90 91% |
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Mar 05, 2019 | mate_cosido | 70 40% |
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Feb 26, 2019 | Ciaphass | 80 76% |
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Feb 22, 2019 | sandman248 | 80 63% |
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Feb 22, 2019 | ![]() |
Boonmee | 75 55% |
Feb 04, 2019 | qa.criticker | 95 98% |
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Feb 01, 2019 | ![]() |
tsumanne | 83 89% |
Jan 19, 2019 | ![]() |
jokevv | 80 96% |
Jan 19, 2019 | ibi8588 | 80 70% |
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Jan 16, 2019 | GFoster | 40 8% |
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Jan 12, 2019 | ![]() |
daffodil907 | 84 95% |
Jan 06, 2019 | ![]() |
Chuck92 | 70 36% |
Jan 06, 2019 | Aeschylus | 85 58% |
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Jan 04, 2019 | daver | 95 68% |
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Jan 04, 2019 | ![]() |
Fransuva | 83 66% |
Jan 04, 2019 | dsb_mac | 90 90% |
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Jan 04, 2019 | rjs | 91 70% |
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Dec 23, 2018 | knives | 74 56% |
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Dec 11, 2018 | zbbrox42 | 92 76% |
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Dec 02, 2018 | ![]() |
le mami | 70 66% |
Dec 01, 2018 | ![]() |
Dennis Li | 4 90% |
Nov 20, 2018 | Philosofem | 98 99% |
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Nov 12, 2018 | ![]() |
buddhalou | 90 93% |
Oct 19, 2018 | ![]() |
julesfmb | 77 95% |
Sep 30, 2018 | kemalbc | 90 85% |
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Sep 30, 2018 | TheBreather | 100 97% |
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Sep 24, 2018 | FraGil | 85 93% |
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Aug 28, 2018 | ![]() |
ansiktet | 90 31% |
Aug 12, 2018 | p3t3 | 80 78% |
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Aug 07, 2018 | filmbantha | 70 63% |
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Jul 26, 2018 | ![]() |
CMQuinn | 70 49% |
Jul 24, 2018 | ![]() |
sebby | 65 57% |
Jul 14, 2018 | mmarczi | 90 91% |
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Jul 02, 2018 | Herna | 85 63% |
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Jun 01, 2018 | Pickle_Man | 100 94% |
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Epic in scope, but suprisingly slow - many scenes are simply static camera conversations between seated characters. Fortunately, the costumes and colors are fantastic to look at, so the film never drags.
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May 12, 2018 | ![]() |
nabukadnezar | 92 96% |
May 06, 2018 | jbwfilm | 80 67% |
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May 05, 2018 | adamkpeter | 72 53% |
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May 01, 2018 | John Milton | 70 61% |
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May 01, 2018 | bholsclaw | 75 78% |
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May 01, 2018 | Metalfist | 70 54% |
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Apr 30, 2018 | Arberwaticus | 89 50% |
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An epic film about the death of a great warlord which his clan survived only on his power. His body double is then recruited to pretend to be the warlord for 3 years to keep the clan from falling apart.
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Apr 29, 2018 | ereed6 | 60 33% |
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Apr 28, 2018 | ![]() |
flake | 50 9% |
Apr 25, 2018 | ![]() |
deanjames | 85 89% |
Apr 23, 2018 | Malcym | 7 77% |
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Not, in honesty, enough story to sustain the entirety of its three hours, but something of a visual masterpiece. Those colours...
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Apr 23, 2018 | fictionfitz | 81 82% |
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Apr 16, 2018 | AchwellFoley | 85 92% |
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Apr 13, 2018 | ![]() |
dourface | 80 86% |
Apr 03, 2018 | rojatume | 64 21% |
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It has elements of greatness, but the story is ultimately not compelling enough to keep one interested for three hours.
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Mar 24, 2018 | MenialRetcon | 81 83% |
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Mar 20, 2018 | ![]() |
apsays | 63 55% |
Mar 18, 2018 | allneonslike | 80 88% |
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Mar 09, 2018 | ![]() |
scott.mcc | 70 63% |
Mar 09, 2018 | FullCollapse | 85 84% |
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Mar 03, 2018 | ![]() |
_paula | 80 44% |
Mar 01, 2018 | ![]() |
JimiAntiloop | 45 19% |
Feb 09, 2018 | ![]() |
Kobaruon | 60 54% |
Feb 04, 2018 | ![]() |
bababab | 95 74% |
Feb 03, 2018 | ![]() |
Sonata | 100 57% |
Feb 03, 2018 | kjones77 | 80 72% |
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Feb 03, 2018 | OgreZed | 80 78% |
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Jan 17, 2018 | ![]() |
ecalder | 53 29% |
Jan 17, 2018 | Don Reba | 100 96% |
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Jan 09, 2018 | cengaveri | 75 61% |
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Jan 02, 2018 | Vessla | 78 69% |
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Jan 02, 2018 | rafalko6 | 60 30% |
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Jan 01, 2018 | bojana | 0 12% |
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Jan 01, 2018 | sizad | 90 88% |
Displaying 1 to 250 of 1243 total ratings: Prev | Next
Average Percentile 70.66% from 1243 Ratings | ![]() |