Rashomon (1950 movie)

Directed by: Akira Kurosawa
Released: 1950
Country: Japan

Genres: Crime, Mystery, Drama 

Cast:  Toshirô Mifune, Machiko Kyô, Masayuki Mori, Takashi Shimura, Minoru Chiaki, Kichijirô Ueda, Noriko Honma

Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Review

Famous director Akira Kurosawa brilliantly directs this excellent movie, with a very unique presentation. The movie centers around a crime told through four different points of views. With the use of flashbacks, the movie is presented in a wonderful way.

The film centers around the rape of a woman and murder of her husband, but it is told from the points of view of four people: the woman, the bandit who raped the woman, the victim of the murder (through a medium) and a woodcutter. But in each case, the incidents are told differently, the identity of the murderer is different in some of the cases. And I'm not revealing anymore of the story.

The story is quite simple, but it is made very engrossing because of the differing points of views. All the different points of views make the storyline very complicated, and we start to think, ''What is it, indeed? Who actually committed the murder?'' and lots of other questions come to mind.

Rashomon had introduced Kurosawa and the Japanese cinema to the world. Yes, it is a very memorable movie in the history of cinema. This film has received lots of awards, including the Academy Honorary Award at the 24th Academy Awards. It also won a Golden Lion Award at the Venice Film Festival. The acting is quite impressive. Toshiro Mifune plays the villainous Tajōmaru excellently. Other actors also give memorable performances.

4.5 out of 5.