Kagemusha (1980)

Kurosawa likes to do this things where he makes a scene three or four times longer than it needs to be just to try and give the audience time to appreciate the gravity of what’s happening. He does this during the nighttime battle at Takatenjin Castle, and he does this at the end when the army is slaughtered and there’s like 5 minutes of slowmo shots of horses kicking their legs in the air.

As a modern viewer this really robs the movie of its pace.

However, the parts of the movie where things are actually happening are a treat. Visually stunning, dramatic, propulsive. And Tetusya Nakadai is a treat as per usual. I could spend the rest of my life watching movies where he just stares traumatised into the middle distance.