Release CalendarDVD & Blu-ray ReleasesTop 250 MoviesMost Popular MoviesBrowse Movies by GenreTop Box OfficeShowtimes & TicketsIn TheatersComing SoonMovie NewsIndia Movie Spotlight
    What's on TV & StreamingTop 250 TV ShowsMost Popular TV ShowsBrowse TV Shows by GenreTV NewsIndia TV Spotlight
    What to WatchLatest TrailersIMDb OriginalsIMDb PicksIMDb Podcasts
    OscarsBest Picture WinnersBest Picture WinnersEmmysAPA Heritage MonthSTARmeter AwardsSan Diego Comic-ConNew York Comic-ConSundance Film FestivalToronto Int'l Film FestivalAwards CentralFestival CentralAll Events
    Born TodayMost Popular CelebsMost Popular CelebsCelebrity News
    Help CenterContributor ZonePolls
For Industry Professionals
  • All
  • Titles
  • TV Episodes
  • Celebs
  • Companies
  • Keywords
  • Advanced Search
Watchlist
Sign In
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)

Ran

  • 19851985
  • RR
  • 2h 42m
IMDb RATING
8.2/10
124K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
3,289
65
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
  • IMDbPro
Ran (1985)
Trailer for Ran: 4k Restoration
Play trailer2:04
3 Videos
99+ Photos
  • Action
  • Drama
  • War
In Medieval Japan, an elderly warlord retires, handing over his empire to his three sons. However, he vastly underestimates how the new-found power will corrupt them and cause them to turn o... Read allIn Medieval Japan, an elderly warlord retires, handing over his empire to his three sons. However, he vastly underestimates how the new-found power will corrupt them and cause them to turn on each other...and him.In Medieval Japan, an elderly warlord retires, handing over his empire to his three sons. However, he vastly underestimates how the new-found power will corrupt them and cause them to turn on each other...and him.
IMDb RATING
8.2/10
124K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
3,289
65
  • Director
    • Akira Kurosawa
  • Writers
    • Akira Kurosawa(screenplay)
    • Hideo Oguni(screenplay)
    • Masato Ide(screenplay)
  • Stars
    • Tatsuya Nakadai
    • Akira Terao
    • Jinpachi Nezu
Top credits
  • Director
    • Akira Kurosawa
  • Writers
    • Akira Kurosawa(screenplay)
    • Hideo Oguni(screenplay)
    • Masato Ide(screenplay)
  • Stars
    • Tatsuya Nakadai
    • Akira Terao
    • Jinpachi Nezu
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 325User reviews
    • 167Critic reviews
    • 96Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
  • Top rated movie #139
    • Won 1 Oscar
      • 30 wins & 23 nominations total

    Videos3

    Ran: 4k Restoration
    Trailer 2:04
    Ran: 4k Restoration
    Ran
    Trailer 2:03
    Ran
    Ran
    Trailer 1:29
    Ran

    Photos148

    Mieko Harada in Ran (1985)
    Ran (1985)
    Tatsuya Nakadai in Ran (1985)
    Ran (1985)
    Jinpachi Nezu in Ran (1985)
    Tatsuya Nakadai and Pîtâ in Ran (1985)
    Jinpachi Nezu and Mieko Harada in Ran (1985)
    Akira Kurosawa in Ran (1985)
    Tatsuya Nakadai, Daisuke Ryû, and Masayuki Yui in Ran (1985)
    Jinpachi Nezu and Mieko Harada in Ran (1985)
    Jinpachi Nezu in Ran (1985)
    Ran (1985)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Tatsuya Nakadai
    Tatsuya Nakadai
    • Lord Hidetora Ichimonjias Lord Hidetora Ichimonji
    Akira Terao
    • Taro Takatora Ichimonjias Taro Takatora Ichimonji
    Jinpachi Nezu
    Jinpachi Nezu
    • Jiro Masatora Ichimonjias Jiro Masatora Ichimonji
    Daisuke Ryû
    Daisuke Ryû
    • Saburo Naotora Ichimonjias Saburo Naotora Ichimonji
    Mieko Harada
    Mieko Harada
    • Lady Kaedeas Lady Kaede
    Yoshiko Miyazaki
    Yoshiko Miyazaki
    • Lady Sueas Lady Sue
    Hisashi Igawa
    Hisashi Igawa
    • Shuri Kuroganeas Shuri Kurogane
    Pîtâ
    Pîtâ
    • Kyoamias Kyoami
    • (as Peter)
    Masayuki Yui
    Masayuki Yui
    • Tango Hirayamaas Tango Hirayama
    Kazuo Katô
    • Kageyu Ikomaas Kageyu Ikoma
    Norio Matsui
    • Shumenosuke Oguraas Shumenosuke Ogura
    Toshiya Ito
    • Mondo Naganumaas Mondo Naganuma
    Kenji Kodama
    Kenji Kodama
    • Samon Shiraneas Samon Shirane
    Takashi Watanabe
    • Fujimaki Clan generalas Fujimaki Clan general
    Mansai Nomura
    Mansai Nomura
    • Tsurumaruas Tsurumaru
    • (as Takeshi Nomura)
    Takeshi Katô
    Takeshi Katô
    • Koyata Hatakeyamaas Koyata Hatakeyama
    Jun Tazaki
    Jun Tazaki
    • Seiji Ayabeas Seiji Ayabe
    Hitoshi Ueki
    • Nobuhiro Fujimakias Nobuhiro Fujimaki
    • Director
      • Akira Kurosawa
    • Writers
      • Akira Kurosawa(screenplay)
      • Hideo Oguni(screenplay)
      • Masato Ide(screenplay)
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
    • All cast & crew

    More like this

    Yojimbo
    8.2
    Yojimbo
    Rashomon
    8.2
    Rashomon
    Kagemusha
    7.9
    Kagemusha
    Ikiru
    8.3
    Ikiru
    Seven Samurai
    8.6
    Seven Samurai
    The Hidden Fortress
    8.1
    The Hidden Fortress
    High and Low
    8.4
    High and Low
    Throne of Blood
    8.1
    Throne of Blood
    Hara-Kiri
    8.6
    Hara-Kiri
    Sanjuro
    8.0
    Sanjuro
    Tokyo Story
    8.2
    Tokyo Story
    Dersu Uzala
    8.2
    Dersu Uzala

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Akira Kurosawa's wife of 39 years, Yôko Yaguchi, died during the production of this film. Kurosawa halted filming for just one day to mourn before resuming work on the picture.
    • Goofs
      During the battle at the third castle, there is a sequence where Hidetora emerges from the castle at the top of a flight of stairs and confronts enemy soldiers ascending the stairs. When he retreats, his bodyguards suddenly appear and retreat with him, even though they were not present moments earlier.
    • Quotes

      Kyoami: Man is born crying. When he has cried enough, he dies.

    • Connections
      Featured in A.K. (1985)

    User reviews325

    Review
    Top review
    10/10
    My third favorite Kurosawa film- deliberately paced (not painfully so), heavy on tragedy, and glorious in overall artistry
    I would agree with Ebert's review on a point, that Akira Kurosawa, legendary director of such samurai classics as Seven Samurai, Yojimbo, Hidden Fortress, and Kagemusha, as well as human dramas like Rashomon, The Lower Depths, and Red Beard, could really best direct this film in his old age. There's something about his version of the doomed King Lear of Shakespeare, his Lord Hidetora Ichimonji that could be truly captured by someone in old age. Not to say that directors can't make great films when they're young, or in middle age, about a man in the dark days of the golden years (About Schmidt, Tokyo Story, Bob Le Flambeur, and Kurosawa's own Ikiru come to mind). But it's clear that Kurosawa must've seen or felt or understood at least an element of Hidetora's character, something that goes beyond tragedy that is stuck with all who are mortal.

    At one point when Hidetora is in a wandering, dazed state he says "I am lost", to which his companion/caretaker Kyoami responds "Such is the human condition." Was Kurosawa lost as an artist and filmmaker as he tried to get his epic (which at the time of it's filming was the most expensive Japan had seen, and got some extra backing from outside European backers) off the page and onto celluloid? Hard to say, but the end result displays that even in his later days he could create a work so wonderful, so sad, so brutal, and so human that it will remain timeless. If Kurosawa deserves praise for look of the film, the pacing, the editing, every single painstakingly storyboarded (painted) shot, and his direction with the two battle sequences as well as with the quieter, more compelling scenes with the actors, the man who plays Hidetora deserves some as well (like any production of King Lear, including Godard's wild treatise with Burgess Meredith in the lead role, the actor is as important as the writer). Tatsuya Nakadai, who had roles in past Kurosawa films as a young man in Yojimbo (the gunslinger) and Sanjuro (the opponent), is awe-inspiring.

    Early in the film, after a mind-shattering dream, his character decides to split up his kingdom unto his three sons (Jiro, Saburo, and getting the first castle and all control, Taro), he still feels in control, and has the look of a Lord with just the right level of stubbornness and, unfortunately, naivety. Then, as everything he owns crumbles before him, there is one scene that struck me as remarkable, and then for the rest of the film I couldn't take my eyes off of Nakadai whenever he was on screen. It involves the first battle sequence, in which one of his son's comes to take over a castle, and killing all of Hidetora's men. Look at Nakadai in the scene where he's sitting down stone-faced amid the chaos going on outside, and then as he somehow manages to walk out, the fellow soldiers making way for him. He then sees one of his sons, the betrayer, and he doesn't say a word- he's already decided that his son Taro has gone too far with his position, as he rules over his domain and scares the peasants right out of the picture- and he simply walks away, as his family continues to crumble under corruption of the mind and heart.

    It's a sequence like that though, where the great Lord makes such a radical change, where Kurosawa and Nakadai have some of their greatest time ever on a screen. As the filmmaker treats the battle, up to a point, like a feudal-Japanese version of a Eisenstein battle (no talk, no sound effects, just the eerie, sorrowful score here applied by Toru Takemitsu) with devastation and visceral nature taken to a poetic, thoughtful level, the actor's eyes and body language are, well, indescribable almost. And if Nakadai gives the finest male performance of the film, credit is equally due to the pivotal female character, Lady Kaede (Mieko Harada), who is like a Lady Macbeth taken to the next level. This is a character that's seen Lord Ichimonji destroy his castle when she was young, and now that she has her son(s) right in the palm of her hand, she'll have her revenge in guise of ego-feeding.

    I may not be able to recommend Ran on one level, despite it being on the painter's equivalent of a splendorous, seething portrait of royalty. Kurosawa takes his time telling the story, and to some it might even feel longer than his epic Seven Samurai. This is a work heavy on emotional nuance, on how the characters (in particular Hidetora) look unto their surroundings, how the presence of destruction and war and slayings are traumatic as opposed to being 'cool' in a stylistic way. If you're looking for a slam-bang action thriller look, elsewhere. But if you're looking for a mature film about life, death, loss, and the bonds that are kept within families, the mind, and how we accept and give forgiveness (a blind character named Lord Tsurumaru is stunning from a certain point of view), this is it. As well for the Shakespeare fan it's an absolute must-see, and it may even turn some onto Shakespeare's classic due to the fact that this film, much like Throne of Blood, contains none of the language style used in the source.
    helpful•134
    23
    • Quinoa1984
    • Aug 16, 2004

    FAQ4

    • Is 'Ran' based on a book?
    • Why was Saburo's jest about the two hares considered offensive?
    • What is the significance of the title of "Ran"?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • June 1, 1985 (Japan)
    • Countries of origin
      • Japan
      • France
    • Language
      • Japanese
    • Also known as
      • Revolt
    • Filming locations
      • Aso, Kumamoto, Japan
    • Production companies
      • Greenwich Film Productions
      • Herald Ace
      • Nippon Herald Films
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $11,500,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $4,135,750
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $3,567
      • Jul 2, 2000
    • Gross worldwide
      • $4,164,283
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      2 hours 42 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

    Related news

    Contribute to this page

    Suggest an edit or add missing content
    Ran (1985)
    Top Gap
    By what name was Ran (1985) officially released in India in Hindi?
    Answer
    • See more gaps
    • Learn more about contributing
    Edit page

    More to explore

    View list
    List
    The Best Movies and Shows to Watch in May
    See the full list
    Image caption not available
    2:14
    The Most Anticipated Movies and Shows to Watch in May
    Watch the video

    Recently viewed

    Please enable browser cookies to use this feature. Learn more.
    Get the IMDb App
    • Get the IMDb App
    • Help
    • Site Index
    • IMDbPro
    • Box Office Mojo
    • IMDb Developer
    • Press Room
    • Advertising
    • Jobs
    • Conditions of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • Interest-Based Ads

    © 1990-2022 by IMDb.com, Inc.