91% (2) Ikiru 143 min, Not Rated, [Drama] [Akira Kurosawa] [25 Mar 1956]Ratings & Reviews: IMDb Reviews: 83%, Rotten Tomatoes: 100%, External Reviews
Awards: Nominated for 1 BAFTA Film Award. Another 5 wins.
Actors: Haruo Tanaka, Minoru Chiaki, Nobuo Kaneko, Shin'ichi Himori, Takashi Shimura
Writer: Akira Kurosawa, Shinobu Hashimoto, Hideo Oguni
External Links: Rotten Tomatoes IMDb Language: Japanese Country: Japan
Plot: Kanji Watanabe is a civil servant. He has worked in the same department for 30 years. His life is pretty boring and monotonous, though he once used to have passion and drive. Then one day he discovers that he has stomach cancer and has less than a year to live. After the initial depression he sets about living for the first time in over 20 years. Then he realises that his limited time left is not just for living life to the full but to leave something meaningful behind...
Rotten Tomatoes: Akira Kurosawa's drama stars Takashi Shimura as Kanji Watanabe, a government clerk who learns he has only months to live. Fearing his life may amount to nothing, he decides to turn his back on his rigid routines in order to search for the meaning of existence.
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90% (2) The Hidden Fortress 126 min, Not Rated, [Adventure, Drama] [Akira Kurosawa] [06 Oct 1960]Ratings & Reviews: IMDb Reviews: 81%, Rotten Tomatoes: 100%, External Reviews
Awards: 4 wins & 1 nomination.
Actors: Kamatari Fujiwara, Minoru Chiaki, Misa Uehara, Susumu Fujita, Toshirô Mifune
Writer: Ryûzô Kikushima, Hideo Oguni, Shinobu Hashimoto, Akira Kurosawa
External Links: Rotten Tomatoes IMDb Language: Japanese Country: Japan
Plot: The story follows two greedy peasants in feudal Japan, Tahei and Matashichi, who are returning home from a failed attempt to profit from a war between neighboring clans. En Route they encounter the remnants of the defeated tribe that consists, most notably, of a famous General and a Princess who are hiding out in a fortress in the mountains. General Rokurota Makabe and Princess Yuki need to escape into allied territory with their large supply of gold so that they can rebuild their shattered clan. To do this the Peasants are tricked into helping them, with the promise that they will receive a large share of the gold when the destination is reached. Along the way, the General's prowess is put to the test as he must guide the 4, and later 5 with the inclusion of a freed slave, through close encounters with the pursuing enemy, and out of difficult situations the bumbling peasants manage to get them into.
Rotten Tomatoes: Two soldiers hide out in the woods from the invading army. They find a gold bar hidden in a tree, and the mood changes from brutality to humor.
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89% (2) Throne of Blood 110 min, Not Rated, [Drama] [Akira Kurosawa] [22 Nov 1961]Ratings & Reviews: IMDb Reviews: 81%, Rotten Tomatoes: 98%, External Reviews
Awards: 3 wins & 1 nomination.
Actors: Akira Kubo, Isuzu Yamada, Minoru Chiaki, Takashi Shimura, Toshirô Mifune
Writer: Hideo Oguni (screenplay), Shinobu Hashimoto (screenplay), Ryûzô Kikushima (screenplay), Akira Kurosawa (screenplay)
External Links: Rotten Tomatoes IMDb Language: Japanese Country: Japan
Plot: After securing a major victory on the battlefield, Taketoti Washizu and one of his commanders, Yoshiaki Miki, find themselves lost in the maze-like Spider's Web forest. They come across a spirit-like seer who tells them of their future: both have been promoted because of their victory that day; Washizu will someday be the Great Lord of the Spider's Web castle while Miki's son will someday rule as Great Lord as well. When they arrive at the castle, they learn that the first part of the prophecy is correct. Washizu has no desire to become Great Lord but his ambitious wife urges him to reconsider. When the current Great Lord makes a surprise visit to his garrison outpost, Washizu is again promoted to commander of his vanguard but his wife reminds him of the danger that comes with the position. As pressure mounts, Wahizu takes action leading to its inevitable conclusion.
Rotten Tomatoes: This moody and violent drama is the Japanese version of Shakespeare's "Macbeth." Even translated into the Japanese language, the timeless story of political intrigue, murder, greed and revenge remains a classic.
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72% (2) I Live in Fear 103 min, [Drama] [Akira Kurosawa] [25 Jan 1967]Ratings & Reviews: IMDb Reviews: 74%, Rotten Tomatoes: 70%, External Reviews
Awards: 1 nomination.
Actors: Eiko Miyoshi, Minoru Chiaki, Takashi Shimura, Toshirô Mifune
Writer: Shinobu Hashimoto, Fumio Hayasaka (story), Akira Kurosawa (story), Hideo Oguni
External Links: Rotten Tomatoes IMDb Language: Japanese Country: Japan
Plot: Kiichi Nakajima, an elderly foundry owner, is so frightened and obsessed with the idea of nuclear extermination that his family decides to have him ruled incompetent. Nakajima's fervent wish is for his family to join him in escaping from Japan to the relative safety of South America. Harada, a civil volunteer in the case, sympathizes with Nakajima's conviction, but the old man's irrational behaviour prevents the court from taking his fears seriously.
Rotten Tomatoes: I Live in Fear presents Toshiro Mifune as an elderly, stubborn businessman so fearful of a nuclear attack that he resolves to move his reluctant family to South America.
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59% (1) Godzilla Raids Again 78 min, Approved, [Action, Adventure, Family, Horror, Sci-Fi] [Motoyoshi Oda] [21 May 1959]Ratings & Reviews: IMDb Reviews: 59%, External Reviews
Awards: 1 nomination.
Actors: Hiroshi Koizumi, Minoru Chiaki, Setsuko Wakayama, Takashi Shimura
Writer: Takeo Murata, Shigeaki Hidaka, Shigeru Kayama (story), Ib Melchior (original story), Ed Watson (original story)
External Links: IMDb Language: Japanese Country: Japan
Plot: Koji Kobayashi, a spotter for a Japanese fishing fleet crash lands his plane on a barren island. His best friend, Shoichi Tsukioka, manages to find him and lands his plane next to his so he can be rescued. The two pilots are shocked when they see two giant monsters waging war before falling into the ocean. The two pilots race back to Japan to inform the government what they saw. Soon the world comes to the realization, that a monster closely related to the original Godzilla is on the loose as well as a new monster named Angilas. Soon, the two monsters arrive in Osaka where they resume their battle. Will the two monsters destroy Osaka before they ultimately destroy each other?
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