Ran (1985)

Ran fixates itself on an old warrior, who's nearing the end of this reign. In an ode to King Lear, Hidetora divides his land between his three sons in hope of peace in his elderly days. This decision ultimately results in chaos and war. While those familiar with King Lear may know the end of this story, it's still a fascinating picture with remarkable cinematography and production. It's rightfully a masterpiece of film-making. Directed by the legendary Akira Kurosawa. Tatsuya Nakadai, who plays Hidetora, is also phenomenal. For a lead character to be this broken, old, and mostly out of his mind, while still being dramatically intelligent is not an easy task. Though it's such a natural character. The woeful tale of man facing mortality in his final days will always be relatable. A theme Kurosawa also tackles in Ikiru, though now he is much older and the film therefore personal. Hidetora facing his demons and succumbing to the consequences of his horrific actions is simply a classic story, written by Shakespeare, and translated so wonderfully into the Japanese culture. I can understand why Kurosawa fought so hard for this film to be made (sorta like Mr. Watanabe). Ran finds a great flow and for being almost 3 hours is very entertaining throughout. The costumes, the colors, the scenery, and the badass samurai imagery is all so much fun to digest. 

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