A doctor (Yuzo Kayama), having just graduated medical school in Tokyo, honing the latest in 19th Century medicine, and hoping for a prestigious post, is mortified when he receives an assignment in an impoverished Tokyo district's public clinic run by a gruff but compassionate doctor (Toshiro Mifune) known as Red Beard. Humanist, measured, and episodic Kurosawa work features characteristically beautiful and shadowy cinematography and the last collaboration between Mifune and the director, the actor portraying a very different sort of role but still embodying a powerful presence. Kayama is excellent as the young doctor and Terumi Niki is heartrending as one of his troubled young patients.

*** 1/2 out of ****

Two bumbling peasants shepherd a couple across enemy lines, not knowing that their companions are none other than the princess and her top general, seeking to reclaim the throne. The Hidden Fortress, a prime influence on George Lucas and the Star Wars franchise, is not much by way of plot, occasionally preachy and obvious, with welcomed humor that eventually wears thin but, even being light Kurosawa, this is among the best looking of his films that at least I've seen. The lighting is impeccable, many of the sequences are memorable. and it once again contains another tremendous performance from Toshiro Mifune.

*** 1/2 out of ****

A retelling of Macbeth, set in feudal Japan, as phantom visions overtake a samurai warrior (Toshiro Mifune), instructing him that he will soon be king of Spider Web's Castle, while igniting his wife's (Isuzu Yamada) ruthless ambition. Superb visuals (the spectral forest scene is a highlight) and the exceptionally controlled madness of Mifune (including his phenomenal, balletic unhingement during the dinner scene) dominate this superb Kurosawa adaptation. Yamada also bears a striking power in her performance and the finale is nothing short of breathtaking.

**** out of ****

In feudal Japan, a devious samurai (Toshiro Mifune) without a clan or a cause is recruited by the townspeople of a village overrun by two criminal syndicates and decides to play them off of each other. Kurosawa's Yojimbo is humorous, relevant, beautifully composed, not to mention immensely influential, with another wild though composed, prodigious Mifune performance at its center.

**** out of ****

Gathering for shelter at a desolate city entrance, two witnesses to a vicious rape/murder recount the court testimony of the atrocious affair from the viewpoint of the perpetrator (Toshiro Mifune), his surviving victim (Machiko Kyo), her slaughtered samurai husband (Masayuki Mori) as told through a seer, and the sole witness (Takashi Shimura) to view the actual crime. By breaking free, not only from traditional cinematic narrative forms and perspective, but also in how movies could actually be filmed, through Rashomon Akira Kurosawa would forever change the way in which movies would be made. Working from two short stories from Ryunosuke Akutagawa, using stark settings and featuring unforgettable performances from Mifune and Shimura, perhaps the film's greatest achievement is the way it imbues humanity into a lurid story.

**** out of ****

A small feudal village under threat from a roving group parasitic bandits seeks protection from a band of brave, downtrodden warriors. Akira Kurosawa's Seven Samurai, a cornerstone of world cinema, much imitated, celebrated and revered, is a marvel of filmmaking. From quick cutting, high octane action sequences to poignant, thoughtful, contemplative, or very humorous scenes, it is a comprehensive moviegoing experience. Toshiro Mifune as the manically, electrically charged combatant and Takashi Shimura as the group's sagacious leader showcase the film's tone in two remarkable performances.

**** out of ****

An aged, powerful warrior in feudal Japan plans to retire and divide his kingdom equally among his three sons. When the youngest of the three questions his proposal, he finds himself banished and his doubts soon proving prophetic as a rift develops between the two elder siblings who prepare for battle and witness the toppling of the vast kingdom their father strived so hard to secure. Made in his mid-70s, legendary master Akira Kurosawa's Ran is an epic, full-blooded, dynamic take on King Lear filled with fantastic cinematography, incredible battle sequences, and gripping subplots. Tatsuya Nakadi is mesmerizing as the old warlord.

*** 1/2 out of ****

An elderly bureaucrat who has given up on life long ago receives a terminal stomach cancer diagnosis. Despairing his wasted life, lack of friends, and his relationship with his estranged son, the man opts to spend every penny in a night of drunken revelry. Coming to his senses, he takes consolation in the company of a younger coworker who, in turn, inspires him to take up a small yet courageous act of public goodwill. "Ikiru" is a film of truth and great beauty from legendary Japanese director Akira Kurosawa. A change of pace from his equally insightful Samurai pictures, "Ikiru" is a frank and existential look at one's man life, told artistically and atypically. Takashi Shimura is excellent and incredibly effective as the protagonist, and as his character's life begins to find purpose in the building of a playground against all the nonsensical and bureaucratic red tape, it culminates in one of the most beautifully realized endings in the history of the cinema. "Ikiru" is a sad, moving, and ultimately life affirming rumination on the banality of bureaucracy and the catharsis of charity.