Rating: 
Summary: Slow paced, but worth a look
Review: Kagemusha is a drama, not an action movie. There are no great duels, and the battle scenes, while effective window dressing for the story, are not themselves the focus. This is a human story about the lowest assuming the guise of the highest, and the conflicts this creates both in his co-conspirators and in himself.Remember the movie "Dave", where Kevin Klein takes the place of a deceased president so that the president's underlings can carry on with their plans? That's basically the plot of Kagemusha, only it is not comedy. In fact, there is a great sadness about this movie, as a thief who assumes the role of a samurai lord learns what it is to hold absolute power and yet to be an imposter. No matter how faithfully he plays his role, in the end he knows he will be discarded or even killed for his efforts. There is an especially touching twist involving his affection for the deceased lord's grandson, who at first is mistrustful but comes to adore the disguised thief. Thus the kagemusha gets his first taste of what fatherly love must feel like, in a splendid castle in which everyone -- even the heir -- must treat him as though he is the real McCoy, all the while knowing that his new life is as transient as a cherry blossom. Technically, the film is sound, the cinematography is dramatic and colorful, but there are plenty of draaaaaaaawn out scenes, so typical of Kurosawa, that may have the less patient viewer reaching for the remote's fast-forward button. In particular the ending, where all the carnage of a climactic, devastating battle takes place off-screen while we watch the thief's face react is almost comical, like watching a mime at the circus, which is FAR from its intent. Still, this movie is accessible, a little moving and definitely worth a look.
Rating: 
Summary: The shadow warrior
Review: Kagemusha is another entry in Kurosawa's decades-long string of Samurai movies and is replet with rank-n-file anti-war themes: empires are fleeting, stubborn pride proves costly, and human life is cheap. Although not without its problems in pacing and stiffness, it is better than some of his more famous films, though no where near as good as Ran. The plot: The warlord Shingen is mortally wounded whilst besieging a fortress. His dying wish is that his dynasty continue. This is accomplished by using an impersonator, Kagemusha (Tatsuya Nakadai), who is a thief with humble ancestry. Kagemusha serves as Shingen's stand-in for three years, improving morale and even helping to win battles. The most impressive feature in Kagemush is the photography along with the splendid costumes. Indeed, outstanding cinematography and convincing sets are a familiar hallmark for Kurosawa. While one can hardly fault the films character development, for a war film, the pace is slow -- very slooow. Kagemusha was an expensive film by Japanese standards, and Kurosawa had alienated himself from Japanese studios with his cutting comments about their uncompromising attitude towards fimmaking. So unfortunatley (and ironically), he turned to the crass commerical master himself, George Lucas (as well as Francis Ford Coppola). Both are credited as executive producers for the "international" version of Kagemusha. Kagemusha was nominated for two Academy Awards, Best Foreign Language Film and Best Art Direction.
Rating: 
Summary: Great!
Review: Kurosawa achieves an excellent balance of emotion, calmness, visual beauty, and compelling character-driven drama. The story happens to begin just about where the film Heaven and Earth(by another director), left off. If you were tantalized by the loose ending of that film, you'll be satisfied by this intense look at the fate of the Takeda dynasty. Acting quality, cinematography, and symbolism are all superb . . . and once again a mysterious flutist is a key plot element! I recommend it to all samurai film fans.
Rating:
Summary: Great and impressive, like a Mountain, but still moving
Review: Kurosawa at his best. When i stumbled over this movie, many years ago, I wasn't aware, that Kurosawa was so deep and important. I loved "Seven Samurai" and "Yojimbo" and expected "Kagemusha" to be another cool Samurai flick with action and subtle humor. But this Masterpiece made me have a closer look upon Akira Kurosawa, and I found a whole line of exceptional Films. After experiencing Kagemusha, I wanted to see all the other great films made by Kurosawa, one of the best movie makers ever. Today, I watch the movie once a year and still find things i haven't noticed before, things that only a genius like Kurosawa could have placed into a movie. The Titel "Kagemusha" means Shadow of the Warrior.
The story takes place in the later 16th century. The Clan Daymios are fighting each other to gain control over the Country. Among them, the legendary Takeda Shingen. One day, he is shot by an enemy sniper and about to die. To prevent the fall of his house, he commands his most loyal man to keep his dead a secret for three years. To make the plan work, a perfect looking Double, a commoner, a thief, is taking over the representative role in public.
From this day on, the thief lives as a shadow, a shadow without a body to follow. More and more, he learn about loyality and respect. He finds joy again in existence and becomes more and more the body, he should be the shadow of. But a shadow is nothing without a body... All in all, this is not only a great story, a great visual joy, but also a momentum of japanese society and military, and a melancholic view of mans nature.
If you can stand three hours of good movie, this one is for you. I only wish it would be available on DVD... When does a compilation-box of Kurosawa movies appear on dvd? I just can't wait!
Rating:
Summary: Beautiful images
Review: Kurosawa's "Kagemusha" is a complicated film, and sometimes difficult to like. Kurosawa's preference for long shots and medium shots over closeups, very little cutting in dialogue scenes, and long pauses make for a slow, deliberate pace. It often feels like we're watching bits of story happening in real time; this applies to the battles as well. But these are not deficiencies. The pace (similar to the later "Ran") gives the film an almost meditative quality that you might not expect given the war setting. "Seven Samurai" it certainly is not, but it is well worth the effort.
This film contains what is, to me, one of the single most beautiful images I've seen in film. At sunset, two solders of the Takeda clan are discussing whether Shingen has been killed. The image is only in silhouette against a blazingly orange-red sky, with the air full of dust as a long procession of soldiers and cavalry slowly marches by. Beautiful.
The Criterion edition of this film is Kurosawa's original full-length version, not the shorter international version previously available on VHS and laserdisc in the USA. I'm eagerly waiting to see the longer version, which I'm told restores a small role played by Takashi Shimura (one of my favorite of Kurosawa's regular actors) previously excised from the international version.
Rating:
Summary: samurai epic
Review: Kurosawa's best, shame about the vid quality/length. check out Ran and Throne of Blood, also pretty good. if you like japan in the middle ages - harder to find but just as good, kanet Shindo's 'Onibaba'.
Rating:
Summary: KUROSAWA
Review: Not as mind-blowing as a few other of Kurosawa's films, 'Kagemusha' is still awesome in its vision and scope. Very few directors have or had the creativity of this man. Although all of his movies are about the same subject matter, he finds a way to be different each time. The opening sequence is actually the best part of the movie. Watch carefully, it is all done in one shot!!
Rating:
Summary: Kurosawa, the last emperor
Review: Produced in 1980 with the finacial suport of George Lucas and Francis Ford Copolla, Akira Kurosawa's Kagemusha is in all aspects an epic. It was a prelude to Kurosawa's 1985 masterpiece Ran with his political and military struggles and existencial conflicts. The historical background is the feudal Japan during the "Sengoku Jidai" or "Age of war" that lasted to the begining of the XVII century. An insignificant thief is spared from death by Shingen, the warlord of the powerful Takeda clan. Because of the amazing resemblence with him, Shingen turns the thief into his "kagemusha" or "shadow warrior" training him to take his place in case of death for no less than three years. When Shingen is finally killed, the thief, under the vigilance of Nobukado, Shingen's brother and the higher retainers of the clan is forced to fool not only the enemies of the Takeda but also the whole rest of the clan. As the story progresses we see the double grow and mature, gaining corage to accomplish his role as best he can. There's also the relation between the double and Nobukado not just puppet and puppeteer but something more deep. The mask finally breaks and the death of Shingen is discovered by his enemies that soon take arms against the Takeda. From there on the fate of the clan will be decided in bloody final battle. The soundtrack spetacularly give the movie an epic,and heroic feel this being seen on the final scene. Kurosawa showed in this film, despite the slow ritm and the lack of great battles, all his talent as a master of his art.
Rating:
Summary: A Different Kind of Perfection from the Mature Kurosawa
Review: QUESTION for starters: where can one find the ORIGINAL version of Kagemusha? (if only for the edited scenes with Takeshi Shimura!) Kagemusha is simply breathtaking. The opening sequence challenges any doubts and skepticism about the subtle yet powerful capabilities for theatre conventions in filmmaking - it is a fascinating long take/meeting of minds and gigantic themes (!) the movie later develops. Much has been said about Nakadai's melodramatic performance in this film, but for me it was only fitting with Kagemusha's ornate and formal compositions. This is not a Kurosawa-epic in the tradition for realism in the likes of Seven Samurai. Artifice reigns supreme here. Kurosawa opted for this with the most awe-inspiring indulgence in form, contrasting it with a most chilling (mauve) theme about reality-vs-illusion. At the end I can't help but miss the super-human yet human-like, life-affirming yet wickedly contradictory heroes portrayed by Mifune in earlier-Kurosawa, but it's a different kind of pleasure and learning experience with Kagemusha. A difference of evolving style that justifies why Kurosawa was truly a sensei of cinematic arts.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful
Review: Regardless of its length and broad assumption that viewers will have some understanding of sixteenth century Japanese feudal systems, this remains Kurosawa's best film - better, even, than 'Ran'. This is a director whose entire catalogue often pivots on imagery and metaphor, but what sets this film apart is the sheer mastery of its cinematography and incomparable attention to detail; some might say lavish attention. The scenes with warriors passing across an orange sun as light filters through to the foreground, the scenes of warrior horsemen riding along a beach as dark clouds loom thunderously in the distance combine to evoke as few other films have done some real sense of the elegance and savagery that was the hallmark of feudal Japan.
In the case of 'Kagemusha' it will probably help if you are something of a film buff, but even those who aren't will probably be impressed with it on some level.
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