Akira Kurosawa (aka: "AK", the "lesser Kurosawa", etc.) has one of those overblown reputations that earns praise from everyone who can't think for themselves. If the word "overrated" was assigned a picture reference in a dictionary, a portrait of "AK" would probably be the best choice. If the word "lemming" was assigned a synonym in a thesaurus, the term "AK follower" would fit the bill nicely. It's no understatement to say that the sheer level of brainless veneration that's repeatedly thrown at this guy hasn't been seen since the advent of organized religion – especially when one considers the fact that most of his movies suck, yet are somehow able to earn IMDb average ratings over 8.0. These people need to stop beating around the bush and simply construct cathedrals in his honor for daily worship.
Well, I knew this day would come. I'm running out of Japanese movies to watch on Netflix, so I have decided to watch more Akira Kurosawa films - despite the fact that much of what I have already seen has been torture to sit through. However, I do typically enjoy films more after a second viewing, so I decided to give "Rashomon" a second chance. Ironically, I'm going to end up downgrading my original rating from a 4/10 to a 3/10. All it did was remind me of why I don't like this director. I truly dread this little project I've started on.
Kurosawa directs yet another dud that tells multiple perspectives of a murder. As is the case with many of this director's films, the acting is wretched. Toshiro Mifune (a good actor) gives what is likely the worst performance of his career as he cackles and stumbles around like Jar Jar Binks. Meanwhile, Takashi Shimura (a terrible actor) basically just stares off into space with those bug eyes of his, mugging for the camera with that smug frown that Kurosawa loves so much (go watch "Ikiru" if you want 2+ hours of Shimura's sad puppy dog glances). As if that weren't bad enough, the lead actress contributes some horribly acted moments during the second half. But the acting isn't the only problem here. The scoring is non-stop and way off base. The mystery simply isn't that interesting or well-written. Some scenes drag on for far too long despite the film being only 88 minutes long. The sword duels are annoying to watch, with characters acting like looney tunes or incompetent doofuses (e.g., stumbling around, dropping swords, missing easy opportunities to kill, acting like children, etc.). Yep, poorly directed crap like this is what I expect from good ole A.K.
