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Ran

Ran

1985
Drama, Action
2h 42m
Your probable score
Avg Percentile 78.13% from 3875 total ratings

Ratings & Reviews

(3875)
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Rated 27 Mar 2007
88
98th
The only attempt that I know of that surpasses its classical adoption source. Every substory have their lives in Ran. One may find it old-hearted or too dramatic. But any reading on Ran should admit its collosal habitat. There is no "a horse, a horse, my kingdom for a horse" by the way.
Rated 11 Sep 2008
100
99th
Kurosawa's late masterwork. From Shakespeare to Noh to Kurosawa's own expressionistic painting, he uses all his sources to their fullest potency, creating a godless world of madness, war and death not seen in film before, or since.
Rated 13 Mar 2010
10
99th
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.
Rated 09 Feb 2007
5
91st
Few epics have Ran's sense of shared, lived-in history. To watch hundreds--thousands--die is horrifying enough, but it's the knowledge and sense that what brought us to this precipice is an unending cycle of violence that give Ran its true emotional heft. Lady Kaede's scheming villainy, Tsurumaru's dreadful existence, the sons' betrayal of Hidetora and each other: all have their roots in the sins of the father.
Rated 17 Jan 2007
95
98th
On previous viewings the performances rubbed me the wrong way, but now they seem entirely appropriate. Or perhaps I've seen it enough times to become used to it. There are still a couple of moments that feel a bit overdone, but only a couple. It's easily the best of Kurosawa's post-Mifune films. Rich layers of Shakespearean drama, heaps of tragedy, a cast of characters who resonate, two hugely impressive battles, scenes that are unforgettable, and one of the most haunting final shots ever.
Rated 13 Mar 2007
92
99th
Kurosawa delivers another masterpiece. It's visually stunning, with grand operatic drama, some wonderful battle sequences, and fine performances by Nakadai and the delightfully evil Harada. Perhaps a bit too melodramatic in places, but that fits the broad Shakespearean tragic mould and this is a quite worthy adaptation of Lear.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
100
99th
This is my absolute favourite movie ever. Staggeringly bleak. The final image in this film is wrenching. #1 in my all time top 10.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
8
93rd
A Shakespearian saga that influenced basically all epics to come (thank god, or we would have never gotten the masterpiece "Troy") in its sweeping photography, gorgeous use of color, and all-encapsulating tragic scope. It may teeter into mild melodrama, but that operatic, slightly surrealistic tone is totally intentional, so I'll allow it.
Rated 12 Apr 2008
10
97th
You know you're looking at a great film when it evokes that strange feeling in you that says: some of these images will be imprinted in my mind forever. Fantastic camera work with a story that easily rivals Hollywood war epics (portrayed here by many gifted actors, including Tatsuya Nakadai, who was amazing). Recommended!
Rated 22 Jan 2010
98
99th
Shakespeare meets Noh meets Kurosawa's patent fusion of East and West -- of theater and cinema -- amounting to this bloody epic of war, death, and betrayal. His final masterpiece. "Man is born crying. When he has cried enough, he dies."
Rated 09 Feb 2007
5
93rd
Mad figure in a forsaken landscape, painted by merciless gods. From the heavens, Hell and Earth must be indistinguishable. Everything about this film is enormous, from its spattering of outlandish colors to the thunder of Takemitsu's percussion, but not least of all the towering body count: utter death and destruction wrought by the hubris of men. This is Kurosawa in rare form, completely spent of good faith.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
94
96th
Some of the most gorgeous imagery I've ever seen.
Rated 11 Dec 2007
100
99th
RAN is what actually 'masterpiece' indicates.
Rated 28 May 2008
96
97th
I love Kurosawa and I love King Lear. This had little room to go wrong.
Rated 29 Jul 2008
99
95th
Magnificent. Some of the most evoking, colorful, striking and jaw-dropping imagery and photography in the entire film industry. Flawless battle sequences too, and Nakadai turns in a fantastic, amazing and emotional performance filled with countless depth and character. A spellbinding drama that's no doubt the richest, most compelling movie from Kurosawa that's part film and part reality.
Rated 27 Apr 2011
100
99th
Is there a more visually beautiful film? Is there a more compelling adaptation of MacBeth? I don't even like Nougaku particularly, but the touches here were seriously awesome. Huge themes, handled with subtlety and precision. Epic, bleak, intense and despairing.. yet still human. True art.
Rated 01 Mar 2016
95
96th
Pure nihilism. There's no vindication, no consolation and nothing to cling hold of. No meaning can be assigned to anything other than the notion that we're predisposed to violence and chaos. Hidetora has spent most of his life waging wars to accumulate power, and in a futile pursuit to initiate peace, he overlooks the paternal superego lacunae that his three sons will inevitably inherent along with his land. Contains some of the most visually stunning film sequences & imagery I've ever seen.
Rated 21 Mar 2021
93
97th
In a word, haunting. The slow collapse of an entire family in a flurry of maneuvering and backstabbing is both fascinating and deeply tragic. And despite this dark content, it all plays out in lush landscapes that practically pop off the screen. A very good final hurrah from Kurosawa. Performance-wise Nakedai and Harada are the standouts.
Rated 22 Nov 2007
88
90th
An excellent beautifully shot movie. An epic tale of lust for power, seen through the eyes of several brothers and the father who left them his lands. The action is great, as is the drama and despite the abundance of characters they all manage to stand out in their own way. The only problem is the jester, who, despite occasionally playing an important role, feels completely out of place.
Rated 11 Mar 2008
93
90th
This is one heck of a movie. Captivating imagery and superb battle sequences make Ran nearly flawless. Its a beautiful movie that is possibly Kurosawa's best overall. The adaptation of King Lear is an interesting backdrop and the acting on all accounts is excellent. Fantastic movie.
Rated 19 Mar 2008
10
96th
"In a world gone mad, it's madness to be sane."
Rated 21 Jul 2009
92
87th
RAN is after Kagemusha my second Kurosawa, and I'm delighted by this Masterpiece. Especially Nakadai's performance is terrific, so full of sorrow and regret.The costumes are colorful and beautiful. All together his last great epic and maybe ( one of ) his best.
Rated 11 Mar 2010
100
99th
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.
Rated 14 Mar 2010
10
98th
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?
Rated 02 Apr 2010
92
93rd
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.
Rated 22 May 2011
95
98th
Besides the obnoxious jester, this movie is pretty much perfect. Few movies make use of color better than this one does. Possibly Kurosawa's best film.
Rated 17 Jun 2011
55
21st
"Ran" is immensely overrated. Touted as "visually stunning", while it's merely a composition of mostly static, stodgy shots that lack the typical exuberance of Kurosawa's style and certainly don't fit a wannabe epic. It's bloated, full of forced messages and some very corny, theatrical acting. The combat scenes have no grandeur or excitement. The pace is sleep-inducing. Sure, there are decent moments (the harrowing final shot), but overall I failed to realise why this is supposed to be great.
Rated 08 Sep 2011
90
97th
Amazing locations, gorgeous use of color, impressive battles and a story filled with betrayal and tragedy, delivered with some damn fine acting. A true classic.
Rated 24 Apr 2012
100
99th
I don't know if I've ever seen a film that was such a joy to look at. You could hang each frame on your wall with pride. It's almost a shame that such a beautiful film is so deeply nihilistic, but then with any other feeling behind it it would be a different film and I can't imagine any changes that would improve this. The performances were flawless all around, with special praise for Nakadai as the maddened Hidetora and Harada as the kinda terrifying Kaeda.
Rated 30 Jun 2012
96
99th
The characters feel a bit too simplistic at times, but that doesn't keep this from being one of the best films ever made.
Rated 13 Feb 2014
100
98th
With the backbone of one of Shakespeare's most elaborate and finest tragedies, Kurosawa crafts a deep and unbelievably realized samurai epic with the most creative use of color I've ever seen in a film. This movie blows me away.
Rated 04 Feb 2007
85
73rd
One of Kurosawa's bleakest efforts. Ran isn't quite among my very favorites of his, but it sure is grand, beautiful, haunting, and so on.
Rated 05 Jul 2007
97
98th
Ran is a magnificent movie. This was my second Kurosawa, and I thought it was just as good as Seven Samurai. Nakadai turns in an amazing performance. But the main thing that stood out for me in this film is the cinematography. The camera work is some of the best in the industry, and what made the cinematography that much better was the color, Ran is such a colorful picture. Kurosawa is the man, and I really enjoy is Shakespeare adaptations. Fantastic picture!
Rated 14 Aug 2007
85
82nd
Akira Kurosawa does what he does better than anyone. Superb colours, great drama and plenty of whiney Japanese princesses.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
100
99th
Kurosawa has filled his film with deep philosophical meaning along with great emotional depth. Combined with the most striking imagery Kurosawa has ever delivered, "Ran" is one of the greatest films of all time.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
80
95th
Spectacular.
Rated 24 Sep 2007
95
84th
Gorgeous film. Cinematography is well executed.
Rated 28 Feb 2008
100
98th
The colors! So vivid. This is Kurosawa's best for me. I love it's bleakness, I love it's grandiosity, and I love it's framing.
Rated 12 Jul 2008
91
94th
Epic in every sense of the word.
Rated 13 Feb 2009
88
77th
It's King Lear done by Kurosawa. What else do you need?
Rated 31 Jul 2009
99
99th
Kurosawa's finest film. A masterpiece.
Rated 18 Jan 2010
95
99th
https://twitter.com/TheCinegogue/status/1347045936250253313?s=20
Rated 16 Oct 2010
97
99th
Near perfect.
Rated 23 Jan 2011
96
90th
Grim! Ran isn't a subtle film (epics rarely are), but it's an extraordinarily powerful one thematically. In the world of Ran, there are only villians and victims. The few heros that exist are easily disposed of thanks to the wonders of modern weaponry, while fools speak more sense than the wise. There is no redemption, nothing to give the viewer any sense of hope. All of this is perfectly executed, with outstanding performances from Tatsuya Nakadai, Mieko Harada and Shinnosuke Ikehata.
Rated 07 Feb 2011
95
94th
I never really liked Shakespeare tragedies, but with Kurosava and his Ran it was something different. This is, probably, one of the most visually arresting and dramatic films I've ever seen. The camera work is perfect as well as the settings and imagery. Ran is the triumph of color and light manipulations. Performance by the actors? I always had problems with the Japanese actors acting skills assessment.
Rated 17 Jun 2012
92
96th
The weight of its reputation alone makes RAN a hard film to judge; the stylization of the acting and the bleakness of its vision are equally significant hurdles. I cannot give my final word on it. But to see Kurosawa's masterful visual control, to hear Toru Takemitsu's brilliant score, to experience the agonizing combination of cruelty and misfortune that the story gives us, and to observe the fine acting (Peter, as the jester, was my favorite), is to realize that RAN is, indeed, a great film.
Rated 10 Feb 2013
97
98th
Achingly beautiful. A slow burning, masterfully constructed, and emotionally powerful experience.
Rated 30 Mar 2013
85
97th
Worthy of Shakespeare. This is a masterpiece of cinema; creating epic battle scenes, emotional tragic drama, and evocative color cinematography; presenting a bleak exploration of death and revenge and despair and human nature.
Rated 29 Oct 2013
93
99th
I expected Ran to be a boring story about boring people with weird make-ups. I haven't been so wrong since I expected Blow-Up to be interesting.
Rated 29 Mar 2014
82
97th
Incredibly sophisticated blocking and composition, use of color photography, space, acting, sound design, score [by Takemitsu, no less], etc. One of the most impressive sequences for me is where all various noises of battle, etc., were left out of the soundtrack, with only the score accompanying the visuals-- reminds me of great silent era moments ["Potemkin," for example, comes to mind], and is just as cinematic and stark.
Rated 23 May 2014
95
97th
A breathtakingly sudden spiral of deceit and tragedy. For Kurosawa, who normally writes such warm scripts, Ran is shockingly merciless. An incredible, slow journey to nowhere.
Rated 23 May 2015
72
78th
Every frame is a painting in this justly titled 'visual masterwork' about three arrows being more easily broken one by one than all at once. The overly dramatic acting makes it difficult to connect with the characters, but this is instead partly created through virtue, vice and the cinematography itself. Through respectively the loyalty of soldiers dying for their emperor who symbolically walks away alone from the burning castle, Kurosawa succeeds in maintaining my attention once more.
Rated 07 Feb 2016
89
90th
Its as visually striking as you expect kurosawa to be. Full of pathos which is highlighted by the actors( much like in kagemusha) acting in a broad, theatrical manner with tons of expression. Kurosawa seems in his old age to be lamenting that the violent, selfish nature of the world can't be fixed by anyone or anything.
Rated 09 Jun 2018
90
77th
I really didn't expect to, but I think I prefer Kagemusha. Despite being nearly 20 minutes shorter than its predecessor, the script doesn't feel as tight, or as thematically and tonally consistent.
Rated 12 Apr 2019
73
71st
The things that stand out the most are the visuals--composition and color in particular--and the great epic plot. The battle scenes may be the most fantastic I've ever seen, and it's certainly the aspect of this film I'll remember the most. The melodramatic/Shakespearean acting didn't work as well for me in this one as it has in other Kurosawa movies, but I can't put my finger on exactly why.
Rated 28 Feb 2020
100
99th
Magnificent samurai epic, clearly made by an ageing film-maker reflecting on his own life, is a beautifully crafted and superbly performed parable on the nature of familial love and loyalty. Random stills from any scene could hang in an art gallery, thanks to Kurosawa's artful compositions; complemented by sterling performances, especially Nakadai's patriarch and an unforgettably chilling Harada. See it on as big a screen as possible!
Rated 14 Jul 2020
91
93rd
The jester is a great example of how comedy constantly evolves by pushing boundaries and subsequently never ages well. That being said just one bit would have sufficed, and she sounded like she was dubbed over by a guy
Rated 05 Oct 2023
55
34th
Couldn't stand the theatrics and especially the 'fool' character. Just too much cringe. Hard to get bothered with the eternal Shakespear story too. Awesome cinematography of course and eerie sounding, well composed music
Rated 23 Nov 2006
99
99th
I loved this film and wanted it to go on even longer. Deep and beautiful. Poor Tsurumaru never got his flute back. :(
Rated 18 Jan 2007
95
95th
Ran tinha sua première em Tóquio há exatos 35 anos. A última vez que tinha visto foi num VHS xexelento nos anos 90, devo mencionar que a restauração é um desbunde de linda. Nunca vi a versão russa do Rei Lear dos anos 70 que dizem ser muito boa, mas me parece que Ran é sua versão definitiva, é um trágico espetáculo estético, cuja beleza só poderia vir do Kurosawa dos anos 80. Box Versátil Shakespeare no Cinema - o qual recomendo fortemente, pois está recheadíssimo de extras,
Rated 27 Jan 2007
75
32nd
Worth seeing for the performance from Tatsuya Nakadai and a fantastic scene between Lady Kaede and Jiro, but, other than that, I found this slightly dull and often irritating, especially when the character of Kyoami is on-screen.
Rated 20 Mar 2007
90
92nd
I thought King Lear sucked. The entire first act is one long failed experiment. The political attitudes presented throughout can only exist in an absolute monarchy. The characters were really flat-- well, I liked Cordelia, the most important secondary character, a great deal, but she has like 10 lines in the whole play. BUT if you add a bunch of guns and make everyone a samurai, King Lear FUCKING RULES.
Rated 22 Mar 2007
100
97th
***** - for substance. ***** - for style.
Rated 26 Mar 2007
60
47th
We've all been told to love this movie, but Kurosawa's visual style became so stodgy as he aged
Rated 14 Aug 2007
100
99th
The greatest film ever made.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
40
11th
Hard to care about this one when everything is so bland.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
80
91st
Score based on distant memory.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
80
43rd
gorgeous cinematography, complex plot, fun to watch
Rated 14 Aug 2007
86
62nd
best kurosawa film I watched
Rated 14 Aug 2007
97
96th
Perfect ..
Rated 14 Aug 2007
98
96th
A classic, even compared to Kurosawa's earlier ones. See it yesterday.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
100
99th
It's as close to perfect as I have seen
Rated 14 Aug 2007
55
27th
Pretty pretty colors
Rated 14 Aug 2007
82
78th
What I love about this director's re-workings of Shakespeare is that he does not worry so much about extracting plot material as he is honoring the core themes of these plays. In this King Lear imagining, Kurosawa envisions a medieval past where a god is absent; in the place of a loving, benevolent deity, only the forces of evil, betrayal and devastating irony are in play. The film is disturbing in its pessimism and bleakness, and although the bright colors of red, blue and yellow are strongly
Rated 24 Aug 2007
95
95th
24 Agustos 07 -sabaha karsi-
Rated 01 Mar 2008
94
90th
# 130
Rated 05 Aug 2008
90
82nd
Scary adaptation, tragedies are the best!
Rated 26 Oct 2008
100
98th
Perfection
Rated 19 Dec 2008
94
88th
121
Rated 09 Jan 2009
100
98th
A perfect film. In my top 5 easily.
Rated 04 Mar 2009
60
85th
The happy coincidence of an actual old man (Kurosawa, age 75) electing to do a treatment of King Lear opens plenty of room to read things into it, and thereby to overrate it. The familiar story, freely altered to fit into the samurai genre, even down to a sex change in the three contentious offspring, retains all of its universal potency, and perhaps even picks up some extra, from the traditional Japanese perspective
Rated 25 Mar 2009
98
80th
absolute
Rated 28 Apr 2009
4
93rd
I usually dislike using the term "epic", but for this movie it seems fitting. Still it never loses sight of the human drama and individual destinies. Beautiful colors and an excellent performance by Nakadai.
Rated 03 Jun 2009
92
98th
Great Movie
Rated 12 Jun 2009
72
85th
Power stuggles in old China. A well told "King Lear" tale.
Rated 03 Jul 2009
61
31st
There's nothing wrong with this movie, but I'm so NOT in Japanese culture, style and language.
Rated 18 Jul 2009
100
95th
The culmination of Kurosawa's career stands as his masterpiece. He's fashioned an epic, heartbreaking statement about honor, ambition, and the futility of war. Stunning battle scenes illuminate the full-blown tragedy of Kurosawa's vision. Superb acting with a scene-stealing Harada as the revenge-minded Lady Kaede; period costumes took three years to create.
Rated 22 Jul 2009
90
88th
When the film starts, you see this beautiful green landscape and the main characters in colorful robe and clothings. It'll be colorful throughout the movie and at some scenes, it'll show the mood of it like the chaos and the battle. Aside from the color, I felt Ran dragged on too long at some scenes but the film as a whole is a wonderful adaptation of Shakespeare's King Lear. Another Kurosawa film that I enjoyed a lot.
Rated 29 Jul 2009
75
40th
a bit to theatrical for my taste
Rated 19 Sep 2009
81
84th
Stunning visuals and great drama of betrayal, honor, jealousy and madness. Impressive battle scenes, fine performances and music that fits the movie well. I would have rated it higher if only samurai movies were more my cup of tea.
Rated 08 Dec 2009
100
98th
5/5
Rated 18 Dec 2009
78
80th
Stunning visuals and great drama of betrayal, honor, jealousy and madness. Impressive battle scenes, fine performances and music that fits the movie well. I would have rated it higher if only samurai movies were more my cup of tea.
Rated 21 Dec 2009
88
78th
Pretty good. The film has wonderful epic sweep, some fantastic individual scenes. But . . . I keep wanting Mifune to be Lear, and he isn't.
Rated 30 Dec 2009
88
95th
A fantastic story, it has great characters, and some great cinematography. With this movie I can definitely see how Kurosawa got his reputation. I could have done with some more realistic blood though.
Rated 07 Jan 2010
80
72nd
Ran looks pretty and has amazing visual style and if someone told me they thought it was a masterpiece I wouldn't argue. Still, it strikes me as a bit long and suffers from not having any real likeable characters. Still, the movie has a certain epic quality that modern movies with their big special effects just can't seem to match. Watching the armies of extras move around the screen is most impressive.
Rated 13 Jan 2010
94
88th
116
Rated 13 Mar 2010
95
94th
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.
Rated 15 Mar 2010
80
91st
The best take on King Lear i've seen. Visually stunning epic.
Rated 18 Mar 2010
85
88th
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.
Rated 06 Apr 2010
65
23rd
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.

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