"; if(is_file("header.php")) include "header.php"; else include "../header.php"; ?>

A typical ploy of medieval Japan based on real facts By using real historic characters like the renowned Takeda Shingen, Oda Nobunaga and Tokugawa Ieyasu, Kurosawa proves once more that life is usually more dramatic than fantasy, as he recounts the substitution of Shingen with a double during the "golden-age" of Japan's civil wars in 16th century. The characters are very well presented, there are some fine scenes in this colored film like that of Shingen's double galloping in front of the Takeda army during an inspection, under the eyes of the enemies' spies, or that of the sad field of battle of Nagashino where the Takeda clan was finally destroyed, but Kurosawa has streched the film a little bit longer than necessary, putting more than enough combat scenes in it. Although technically sound, I think it can not compare in freshness and powerful images with his older works "The Throne of Blood" or "Seven Samurai".