Kagemusha

"The Shadow of a man can never stand up and walk on its own."

Oct 10 1980 PG 3h 0m
Drama, History, War

Akira Kurosawa's lauded feudal epic presents the tale of a petty thief who is recruited to impersonate Shingen, an aging warlord, in order to avoid attacks by competing clans. When Shingen dies, his generals reluctantly agree to have the impostor take over as the powerful ruler. He soon begins to appreciate life as Shingen, but his commitment to the role is tested when he must lead his troops into battle against the forces of a rival warlord.

Plot

When a powerful warlord in medieval Japan dies, a poor thief recruited to impersonate him finds difficulty living up to his role and clashes with the spirit of the warlord during turbulent times in the kingdom.

Written by

Masato Ide, Akira Kurosawa

Directed by

Akira Kurosawa

Cast

Tatsuya Nakadai, Tsutomu Yamazaki, Ken'ichi Hagiwara

Crew

View crew

Production Countries

United States of America, Japan

Production Companies

American Zoetrope, 20th Century Fox, Kurosawa Production Co., Toho

Languages

Awards

Nominated for 2 Oscars. 20 wins & 5 nominations total

Trailers
Kagemusha (1980) Trailer
Criterion Trailer 267: Kagemusha
Kagemusha (1980) ORIGINAL TRAILER [HD 1080p]
Kagemusha (1980) Original Trailer [4K]
Scores
# of Votes
39,368
Average Rating
7.9 out of 10
Metascore
84
Popularity
NA