When you search for , you are likely looking for the Kurosawa film. But what you find is a snapshot of a year when cinema was at war with itself—and the audience won. Whether you prefer the chaotic tragedy of a samurai warlord or the comedic chaos of a DeLorean hitting 88 mph, 1985 had a movie that ran the race.
It is a performance of immense physical endurance and psychological depth. Hidetora is not a hero; he is a conqueror who reaped what he sowed. Nakadai manages to make the audience pity this monster, a feat that requires a mastery of the craft few actors possess.
