Review – The Hidden Fortress

Though not exactly director Akira Kurosawa’s finest moment, this is nonetheless a pleasant piece of samurai-abilia. Toshiro Mifune stars as a general who’s trying to smuggle a load of gold and a princess through enemy territory. Comic relief is provided by two greedy, cowardly peasants enlisted to aid in the smuggling effort. The result is approximately 75% comedy of errors, 20% medieval intrigue and 5% flashing steel. By this count the movie may come up a bit short in the martial arts department, especially for fans of that sort of thing (like myself). That notwithstanding, the other elements of the story more than make up for the lack of action. In particular this is an excellent showcase for Kurosawa’s dry sense of humor about the human condition. Worth seeing