In the Sixteenth Century, in Japan, Tahei (Minoru Chiaki) and Matakishi (Kamatari Fujiwara),two rascals and greedy peasants, are trying to return to the city of Akizuki through Hayakawa, after an unsuccessful attempt of making money with the war between the clans of Yamana and Akizuki. While warming themselves in a fire, they find gold with the symbol MT. Suribachi of the Akizuki hidden in the firewood, and they decide to search for other branches. Tahei and Matakishi meet General Rokurota Makabe (Toshirô Mifune),who is secretly protecting Princess Yukihime (Misa Uehara),and without knowing their identities, they accept to escort and help them in the transportation of the gold through the enemy lines to Akizuki.
"Kakushi toride no san akunin" is a delightful movie, indeed another masterpiece of master Akira Kurosawa. The screenplay is amazingly wonderful, having action, comedy and code of honor. Toshirô Mifune is perfect in the role of the samurai that is assigned to protect his princess no matter the cost of the life of his young sister; Minoru Chiaki and Kamatari Fujiwara are hilarious in the role of two greedy rascals, ready to betrayal, cheat and risk their miserable lives for gold, and responsible for the funniest moments along the story; the very gorgeous Misa Uehara is stunning in the role of a princess, showing personality and a very noble behavior. Summarizing, it is a perfect movie, with fantastic locations and costumes and magnificent choreography of fights. I intended to use the saying "Hide stones among stones, men among men" said by Makabe to the peasants as the title of my review, but I noted that another IMDb user had the same idea. I read on the cover of the DVD that George Lucas inspired his franchising "Star Wars" in this movie. This was the first time that I watched "Kakushi toride no san akunin", which was unknown for me, and I really recommend it to any audience. My vote is ten.
Title (Brazil): "A Fortaleza Escondida" ("The Hidden Fortress")
Plot summary
The story follows two greedy peasants in feudal Japan, Tahei and Matashichi, who are returning home from a failed attempt to profit from a war between neighboring clans. En Route they encounter the remnants of the defeated tribe that consists, most notably, of a famous General and a Princess who are hiding out in a fortress in the mountains. General Rokurota Makabe and Princess Yuki need to escape into allied territory with their large supply of gold so that they can rebuild their shattered clan. To do this the Peasants are tricked into helping them, with the promise that they will receive a large share of the gold when the destination is reached. Along the way, the General's prowess is put to the test as he must guide the 4, and later 5 with the inclusion of a freed slave, through close encounters with the pursuing enemy, and out of difficult situations the bumbling peasants manage to get them into.
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Another Masterpiece by Master Akira Kurosawa
Amusing and exciting with spectacular spectacle-another winner from Akira Kurasawa!
What a wonderful movie! In my top 5 Kurasawa movies for sure alongside Seven Samurai, Ran, Throne of Blood and Yojimbo. As always it is superbly directed, and looks amazing especially in the once again epic scenery and use of CinemaScope. The music score is suitably lively(though my favourite score of any of Kurasawa's movies is still Ran),the script is literate and amusing and the story compels. The action sequences are beautifully choreographed and exciting and the comedy puts a smile on my face. The acting is just as accomplished as ever, with Toshiro Mifune giving yet another charismatic lead performance, and Minoru Chiaki and Kamatari Fujiwara match him just as effectively. Through his camera and directorial techniques you can see Kurasawa paying debt to John Ford's western, and you can also see with the galaxy far far away idea especially the major influence it had on Star Wars. The Hidden Fortress was said as well to be Kurasawa's own personal favourite of his work, and while not quite mine(Seven Samurai) I can definitely see why, and it is perhaps his most accessible(I have often seen Throne of Blood criticised for its dramatic structure and one-dimensional characters and I know people were deterred by the length of Seven Samurai). In conclusion though, a truly great film. 10/10 Bethany Cox
Excellent film and George Lucas' inspiration
This is a very good and enjoyable adventure comedy that reportedly was much of the inspiration for George Lucas' film, STAR WARS. However, unlike STAR WARS, this film is set on Earth--in Japan to be exact. The film begins with learning that a battle has taken place and two men who ran from the action are just trying to save their own skin. Along the way, they meet up with a very dedicated samurai (Toshiro Mifune) that enlists them against their will to help him in his task to protect his lady. The two "heroes" are hardly excited about the prospect but are taken against their wills into Mufune's confidence because apparently there really is no one else left to help! These two guys appear to be the inspiration for R2D2 and C3PO, believe it or not, and Mifune is sort of like a lone "Jedi" trying to save the lady who turns out to be a princess---sure sounds familiar does't it?! This film is wonderful and entertaining and a must to all the STAR WARS geeks out there. After all, if they go to all the trouble of dressing up, buying lots of expensive paraphernalia AND standing in line for days to see these sci-fi films, then watching this film should be a snap!!