Review of Rashomon (1950) by Mark R — 30 Jul 2010

A stunning achievement in film-making. Kurosawa fully captures a dark, rainy atmosphere in which to tell a disturbing masterpiece, a story concerning a woman who is raped, and how her husband is murdered following the attack by a vile bandit.

Kurosawa populates his piece with interesting, very emotional characters who are very affected by the events they are exposed too. It's a rare film in the sense that it doesn't give its viewers all the answers by the end of the picture - but this is absolutely the right move in accomplishing an incredibly grim but intense finale that feels satisfying even though it really isn't in a way.

While this isn't the best film Kurosawa ever did ("Seven Samurai"), it's certainly one of the best films of the 20th century by far.