The Hidden Fortress (1958)

Probable Score

Not Enough Info

Your Score

(0 - 100)

Lured by gold, two greedy peasants escort a man and woman across enemy lines. However, they do not realize that their companions are actually a princess and her general. (imdb)

More Information and Actions

Cast and Information

Directed By: Akira Kurosawa

Written By: Akira Kurosawa, Shinobu Hashimoto, Hideo Oguni, Ryûzô Kikushima

Starring: Takashi Shimura, Toshirô Mifune, Kamatari Fujiwara, Takeshi Katô, Susumu Fujita, Minoru Chiaki, Eiko Miyoshi, Yoshio Tsuchiya, Kokuten Kôdô, Yû Fujiki, Toshiko Higuchi, Misa Uehara

Genres: Action, Adventure

AKA: Kakushi-toride no san-akunin

Country: Japan

Where to Stream

Invalid Trailer

Ratings

Collections

Stats

Loading...
loading

The Hidden Fortress belongs to 44 collections

1. Criterion Collection (collaborative: moderated by caffe - 166 stars)

2. They Shoot Pictures 1,000 Greatest Films (2008 revision) (collaborative: moderated by Scottathon - 39 stars)

3. IMDb Top 250 Complete (collaborative: moderated by Jorg - 23 stars)

4. The Story of Film: An Odyssey (collaborative: moderated by rant1229 - 20 stars)

5. They Shoot Pictures' Recommended Viewing (collaborative: moderated by Cinephile - 19 stars)

6. Kinema Junpo 200 Greatest Japanese films (2009 list) (collaborative: moderated by PeaceAnarchy - 17 stars)

7. FIPRESCI Prize (collaborative: moderated by paulofilmo - 14 stars)

8. Films available in HD (collaborative: moderated by kubricksucks - 13 stars)

9. Cinema Discusso Yearly Consensus (2008) (public: PeaceAnarchy - 10 stars)

10. Sight and Sound 2002 (collaborative: moderated by PeaceAnarchy - 9 stars)

11. Anamorphic Cinematography (collaborative: moderated by Bojangles - 7 stars)

12. Doubling The Canon (2010 update) (collaborative: moderated by MMAlpha - 5 stars)

13. They Shoot Pictures 1,000 Greatest Films (2007 revision) (collaborative: moderated by Scottathon - 4 stars)

14. Great Japanese Films (collaborative: moderated by PerryStroika - 4 stars)

15. edkrak films to see (public: edkrak - 4 stars)

16. Criterion Art House Essentials (public: asperastrum - 4 stars)

17. They Shoot Pictures ex-Top 1,000 (collaborative: moderated by MMAlpha - 3 stars)

18. Japanese director (collaborative: moderated by iconogassed - 3 stars)

19. Criterion Collection (Blu-ray and 4K) (public: PepeCamello - 3 stars)

20. my DVDs (collaborative: moderated by Jeb - 1 star)

21. Doubling the Canon (2011 update) (collaborative: moderated by MMAlpha - 1 star)

22. Best of criticker: Adventure (collaborative: moderated by avgcrtckr - 1 star)

23. Doubling the Canon (2012 update) (collaborative: moderated by Cinephile - 1 star)

24. Chanbara (public: PerryStroika - 1 star)

25. Akira Kurosawa (public: kendell - 1 star)

26. The Greatest Movies of All Time - Filmweb's Alternative Top 500 (public: Hadleyreis - 1 star)

27. Jidaigeki (collaborative: moderated by tirefeet)

28. Foreign films on Divicast (collaborative: moderated by Dunstan-xxx)

29. zae's DVDs & Blurays (public: zae)

30. Filmspotting Ratings Project: Week 4 (public: PeaceAnarchy)

31. Peliculas que tengo (public: escarta)

32. Movies to See: Kurosawa (public: Lord Moe)

33. Movies I Own (public: Farzan)

34. Top 101 (public: losrasputin)

35. My Criterions (public: Matthew Parkinson)

36. KENDELL'S MASSIVE LIST (public: kendell)

37. Filmstruck Wishlist (public: kendell)

38. Forrest Watch List (public: ForrestQ)

39. old Japan (public: kendell)

40. Films Dunstan Owns (public: Dunstan-xxx)

41. Backlog (public: Ceekay19)

42. To See (public: Contreras)

43. 1950s Mile High Club (public: Dunstan-xxx)

44. Blu-ray Collection (public: TripEuphoric)

Browse the full list of collections

Show:

All Ratings | With Reviews

Order by:

TCI | Percentile | Date Rated | # Stars (Reviews)

Stars	User	Rating
4	Pickpocket	8 _82nd
Takes awhile to get going, but once Mifune is introduced the film gets some new life and it becomes much more interesting. The 2 peasants got on my nerves sometimes but they never took me out of the film. The scene where Mifune fights the 2 guys on the horse was amazing.
4	rob	15 _83rd
One of the best adventure films ever made, it has it all: atmosphere, action and comedy. Mifune is characteristically brilliant as the taciturn General Makabe and the two peasants are bumbling, incompetent and endearing. Perhaps not as deep as your typical Kurosawa fare, but it's also far more accessible: taken for what it is, it deserves its place next to Kurosawa's greatest works.
3	doctor7	85 _83rd
While some parts are very, very entertaining the movie does feel like drags a lot, especially in the beginning. Still it's a great movie and you can see obvious inspirations for Star Wars from it.
3	Nathan S	4 _74th
A rip-roaring high adventure, typical but top-form Kurosawa, written and played with an amusing sense of humor. Apart from the comedy, what strikes me is how vertiginous it is. The harsh mountain topography and steep landscapes are framed at extreme angles, and every shot seems designed top-to-bottom. It's a simple and consistent metaphor for the uphill battles these characters must endure, and it imbues the film with impressive scope and earthy texture.
3	Barthalen	80 _81st
A bit too whimsical at times, and having two comic relief characters dominate most of the running time gets tiring, but Mifune is wonderful and the plot is interesting enough. I guess I was expecting something more epic.
2	Magb	75 _50th
Not among my favorite Kurosawas. Of course it's got many things going for it, such as a cool plot, wonderful entertainment value and Toshiro Mifune. But I thought it was too long, the two peasants got on my nerves sometimes as did the princess, and... I don't know. It just didn't quite work for me, I guess. But as the score should tell you, I do consider it to be a good movie. Just not exactly for me.
2	Ytadel	7 _83rd
An extremely rare and little known trivia fact: George Lucas drew inspiration for Star Wars from this movie.
2	Farzan	93 _94th
Wow, I haven't seen a Kurosawa movie for a long time, and seeing this made me more into his work. I love his period, samurai films so much. This one may not be as epic as Seven Samurai or Ran, but it is just as colorful. The characters, especially the two peasants, were so well constructed. The Hidden Fortress has great drama, and believe it or not, comedy. I thoroughly enjoyed this film.
2	caiman	86 _82nd
This is my least favorite Kurosawa movie, but that's like saying missionary is my least favorite sex position. It's Kurosawa, so it's great stuff. I enjoyed picking out all the Star Wars influences. The characters are all entertaining and the direction is top notch. The story just isn't as solid as some of his best films.
2	frederic_g54	9 _90th
A refreshing escapist picture à la 'North by Northwest' from Kurosawa that should please many of you. Mifune's presence is so enticing it becomes scary after so many films, the man's just too good for words. 'The Hidden Fortress' is just great fun.
2	Coheed	100 _97th
A combination of adventure yarn, comedy, period drama and, with its two peasant characters who start and end the film, a character piece looking at the good and bad in human beings. Its humanist genre cinema stunningly made and with a great cast. One of Kurosawa's less talked about films, though there are even lesser know works, but it still outshines other films of its type.
1	MartinTeller	83 _77th
A ripping good adventure. A bit slow at the start, but once Mifune shows up it starts cooking, moving from one exciting or clever sequence to another with ease. The dramatic elements are somewhat threadbare, but Kurosawa does straight action/adventure so well that it doesn't matter. Misa Uehara damn near steals the film with her nearly silent performance. My main complaint is that Tahei and Matakishi are sometimes so stupid or despicable that it becomes difficult to be amused by their antics.
1	Actionberg	85 _84th
The wide angles in this film encompass such an astounding variety of textures in each shot I can't even believe it. They're complex enough that it's essentially like I know exactly how it feels to walk through that forest. And in the midst of this stunningly beautiful photography, there's this simple, fun adventure that's humorous and thrilling. The spear duel in the middle of the film should be in textbooks for how to shoot an effective action scene.
1	terrymac	84 _92nd
Most enjoyable. The two peasants are finely realised characters, although their unrelenting greed and stupity occasionally grates. There are some excellent action scenes, and overall the direction is of a very high standard. I have no idea what was going on with the weird princess' voice - she should have remained mute. Toshiro Mifune is ridiculously watchable in everything I have seen him in - he has an incredible screen presence, and his glowering, hard-as-nails general here is no exception.
1	TheDiceman	65 _73rd
Great film.
1	Alex Watkins	4 _70th
Kurosawa has a gift for shaggy-dog epics, low stakes wrapped up in high settings. History happens in the backgrounds of his films, while he rolls around in the muck, where it's much more enjoyable. Here, embracing widescreen for the first time, he revels in the scope and texture of his barren, unforgiving landscapes - a threat to match anything else our heroes face. Mifune, armed with an unwavering scowl, has rarely been better or more intense.
1	Suture Self	5 _43rd
Half comedy, half adventure, frequently silly. Makes some amusing observations about greed, but it's mostly caught up in being fun in a classic "movies are great entertainment!" kind of way. There's nothing wrong with this approach, but in this case I sometimes got bored. It's pleasing to look at, but it's also a bit long and full of dead areas. Still, Toshiro Mifune is great, the story is likable, and Misa Uehara's stone cold stares are hilarious.
1	Stain	80 _68th
Kurosawa's samurai films start to look the same after a while, but this is one of his better ones
1	MonsterGear	77 _47th
I admittedly rented it for the "OMG STAR WARS COPIED IT" factor but they're really not all that terribly similar, and if I hadn't known about the connection beforehand I might never have made it at all. Seems a bit uneven but has an exceptional ending.
1	Freder	82 _74th
The only thing typical about any Kurasawa is the quality level. Much fun & spectacle.
1	Valenzetti	84 _68th
Slows down a bit in places, but as a whole, it carries through masterfully. Gripping action, some great jokes: this is how you make an adventure film.
1	closedmouth	80 _67th
I loved the first half, but the constant plot contrivances ("We lucked out!" should not be said more than once in a single movie) and the at-first-funny-but-after-a-while-incredibly-irritating stupidity and greed of C3PO and R2D2 started to get on my nerves in the second. Of course, it's Kurosawa, so it's relentlessly entertaining and visually without parallel, with a badass performance from Mifune. But its imperfections can be pretty grating.
1	ratedargh	60 _30th
The pacing is off, and it meanders a bit too much. It's much more loosey goosey than most other Kurosawa films. His usual ability to balance everything smoothly, even within a chaotic story, is off kilter and the story suffers. It needs to be tightened.
1	thehynes	56 _48th
An angry hardcase in hotpants goes on a walking holiday with an irritating and screechy, yet a bit saucy, woman who happens to have wacky eyebrows. Along for the ride are two duplicitous imbeciles who the hardcase repeatedly misplaces his trust in. They make a couple of friends along the way. They all live happily ever after and they even make the imbeciles rich despite the fact they'd planned on raping the woman,handing her in to be executed and also robbing them on numerous occasions.
1	Pickle_Man	80 _55th
Visually arresting and definitely fun as an action flick but lacking the strong characters and thematic depth of better Kurosawa films. Of all the strange talents to have, Kurosawa is consistently fantastic at filming horses.

Average Percentile 70.57% from 1551 Ratings