Akira Kurosawa (“Yojimbo”, “Rashomon”) directs “Ran”, an extraordinary epic that loosely follows “King Lear”. The film is filled with mesmerising shots of the Japanese landscape and it’s made even more impressive when you discover that Kurosawa was virtually blind when he made this film. “Ran” was a passion project for Kurosawa, who referred to an earlier film, “Kagemusha”, as a ‘dress rehearsal’ for this one.

Set in feudal Japan, “Ran” follows an elderly warlord (Tatsuya Nakadai), who wants to retire and entrust his empire to his three sons. Power quickly corrupts the sons and so the warlord begins a slow descent into madness.

The aging warlord is Lord Hidetora and he is a great character. He is a stubborn old man that is struggling to find a suitable candidate to inherit all that belongs to him. The make-up on him looks fantastic; in some scenes, he genuinely looks tormented. It is interesting to see the three sons quickly become enemies as they battle for control of the Ichimonji land and castles. Also, there is a great female character as Lady Kaede (Mieko Harada) is a woman that is always scheming. I did not particularly like the Jester character. The are countless extras in the film, many of them ride into battle in wonderful sequences where the armies mount attacks on the castles. The costumes on everybody looks great and it really helps make us feel that we are being taken back to the feudal era of Japan.

“Ran” is beautifully shot and a fascinating watch. Its battle scenes are terrific and the characters are interesting. Kurosawa remains one of the most celebrated directors, not just in his native Japan but across the world, and it is not too challenging to see why when you watch “Ran”. If you are a fan of samurai films and these historical epics then I really must recommend “Ran”.