Throne of Blood is an epic historical drama by renowned director Kurosawa Akira and with charismatic lead actor Mifune Toshiro. The plot revolves around betrayal, conspiracy, greed, honour and megalomania. It is inspired by William Shakespeare's Macbeth intertwined with stylistic elements from Japanese Noh which is a visually appealing but physically static type of traditional musical drama.

The movie tells the story of friends and generals Washizu and Miki who are foretold a bright future by a mysterious spirit in a misty forest. Initially skeptical, the prophecies of the spirit happen to be true when Washizu is named Lord of the Northern Garrison and Miki Commander of the First Fortress. However, Washizu's cold-blooded wife Asaji manipulates her husband into forcing his luck instead of waiting for it to fall into his hands. They plot to assassinate Lord Tsuzuki and then kill Miki but their gloomy plans soon backfire and spiral out of control.

The movie convinces with gorgeous settings such as gigantic Spider's Web Castle. The acting performances are really intense and especially Yamada Isuzu convinces as sinister femme fatale. The plot is filled with interesting conspiracies, intrigues and twists. The film's pace is relatively steady after a slow but necessary introduction. The final quarter of the movie is particularly intense and ends in a brutal tragedy. The movie has aged rather well thanks to its timeless plot.

This movie isn't among Kurosawa Akira's greatest films like Seven Samurai and The Hidden Fortress but is still in the upper middle section of his impressive works. This dynamic historical drama is a clever take on William Shakespeare's timeless Macbeth and convinces thanks to stunning settings, gloomy atmosphere and intense acting performances. If you like elegant action films, intense dramas or epic war movies, you will certainly appreciate Throne of Blood. This entertaining movie has aged quite well and would serve as an appropriate introduction to the works of both Kurosawa Akira and Mifune Toshiro.

In feudal Japan, Washizu and Miki are warriors and friends. When riding to their Lord's castle to be decorated, a strange woman in the forest predicts future glories for them. When her predictions come true, it is the beginning of an ignominious tragedy that will ultimately end in death for both men ...

Made during his dynamic fifties period, this powerful retelling of William Shakespeare's Macbeth is the best movie version of the classic play (although the Orson Welles and Roman Polanski films are both good too). It sticks pretty close to the original text; the Washizus are the Macbeths, the Mikis are Banquo and Fleance, Tsuzuki is Duncan and Odagura is Siward. Some characters are missing - notably Macduff - and there are some new elements - such as Lady Washizu's pregnancy - but Kurosawa has captured the feel and the atmosphere of the story perfectly, whilst still making his movie visually powerful and arresting. He does this by making it almost a horror movie (the Japanese title translates as Cobweb Castle, a horror film title if ever I heard one); it's packed full of creepy scenes, startling sounds and moments (for example, when Yamada gasps at the murderer's sudden appearance), and is embedded with dread. It's also drenched in grim weather - the ever-present fog is a stunning metaphor for the moral dilemmas which constantly confront Washizu, almost as if the cloudiness of his thoughts have seeped out to surround him. Immediately after meeting the ghost, Kurosawa uses an amazing ten wordless shots - count them, ten - of Mifune and Chiaki riding around lost in the fog. Anyone else would have used one or two, but the ten are astonishing; this director loved bad weather. His use of camera is also brilliant in its simple, powerful elegance with so many clever shots to mention; the ghost's sudden dramatic disappearance, Lady Washizu swallowed by blackness as she fetches the poisoned saki, the famous Banquo's Ghost dinner scene, not to mention the incredible finale as the treasonable Mifune is tortured by a rain of arrows from his own men. This movie isn't as much fun as some of Kurosawa's others - it is Macbeth, after all - but it is stunning throughout, and one of the best screen adaptations of Shakespeare. English title - Throne Of Blood.

I must first point out that I must be a total Neanderthal, as I don't particularly like Shakepeare plays or movies. The language is a pain and could use updating. I'm sure literature majors out there are having an apoplexy now that I said that. It's just that in using such stilted language, the plays often become ponderous. This is definitely NOT the case with Akira Kuraswawa's version of Macbeth. Because you really don't translate 17th century English into 17th century Japanese, the more modern language used in the movie makes this Japanese version MORE ACCESSIBLE to the average English-speaking person! Plus, the Japanese imagery (such as the witches now appearing as bleached out demons) is spectacular and exciting to watch. I think Shakespeare himself would have enjoyed the effort, though considering he is currently dead (and it appears this will not change in the near future), it is only a guess on my part. As it is, this is one of Kurosawa's best films and a must-see for film fans.