Review of Throne of Blood (1957) by Grant S — 01 Jun 2017

After a victorious battle, two generals, Washizu and Miki, are confronted by a spirit who predicts their futures. Washizu will be promoted and will ultimately be leader of the realm. Miki will also be promoted and his son will eventually be leader of the realm. Both immediately dismiss these utterances but once they are promoted, they start to believe them. Washizu is spurred on by his ambitious, scheming wife, Asaji. When a chance comes to kill the current leader, Washizu seizes upon it.

Directed (and co-written) by the famed Japanese director Akira Kurosawa and based on William Shakespeare's MacBeth, this is a great adaptation of the classic play. The central plot remains roughly the same but Kurosawa changes the setting, dialogue and sub-plots. Gives it a fresh look without changing the broader story.

Solid direction by Kurosawa and a commanding performance by Toshiro Mifune (Kurosawa's go-to guy for many of his movies).

Only thing that prevents this from being an absolutely compelling masterpiece is that, if you know the story of MacBeth, you know how the plot unfolds. This dampens the impact of some of the twists. It also makes some scenes seem overly long and tedious, as you want to get to the good bit you know is coming. Kurosawa did his best to make the plot seem new, but you can't avoid the central plot, which is all MacBeth.