Review of Red Beard (1965) by Muhammad K — 17 Sep 2012

I found the first half incredible, and the second half a little stretched and meandering, but overall, this is a great film. Kurosawa has some of his greatest camerawork here, and the acting is unbelievably powerful.

There are many scenes that stick out in my mind, and yet the film as a whole doesn't seem to be as great as these particular scenes. Is it the length? I suppose. Seven Samurai was just as long and I was enraptured every second, and the films aren't too dissimilar.

I don't know, it hardly matters. The film is yet another (and last) fantastic collaboration between Toshiro Mifune and Kurosawa, and it's just as much a testament to their collaborative greatness as any other movie.