Review of Throne of Blood (1957) by Jon P — 14 Apr 2016

Throne of Blood is a cold and ghostly tale of power and mistrust told by an unusually distant Akira Kurosawa.

Despite being lifted from Shakespeare's Macbeth, the narrative screams shaky uncertainty and instability, as Kurosawa guides us through what is essentially a foggy variety show of sporadic moralising, navel-gazing, sword fights and messenger reports. All of the Kurosawa trademarks are here somewhere, they just never jump out at us, or come together in a way that really reels us in.

However, Throne of Blood isn't without its merits or moments of greatness - Toshiro Mifune, for example, is, in a word, mental. The great samurai actor has to be seen to be believed in his most harrowing will-he-or-won't-he-explode-at-any-moment performance of the lot.