Throne of Blood Review

I enjoyed Throne of Blood immensely, personally. Once I found out it was based on Shakespeare's Macbeth, I was worried, but I was very surprised with what Kurosawa-san managed to do with the story. I loved how Washizu fell further and further into his own hubris, which came to be his own undoing.

Speaking as a student of war (I am a cadet in the Army ROTC program and commission into the Army in less than a year), I can't really understand why Washizu chose to reveal that his knowledge of battle came from a ghost. It seems a little crazy to me to tell your soldiers "don't worry, the spirits are on our side," but then I never really was one for the supernatural or religious. Relying on the spirit's prediction is what cost Washizu his life; had he taken the time to prepare a proper defense, he would have been much better able to launch a counter-attack that would have disposed of Miki's son and his followers. Nevertheless, Washizu over-informed his soldiers, and doomed himself to defeat. It is true that it's good to keep one's soldiers informed -- an informed soldier knows what his commander wants to accomplish, and can work with his commander's intent in mind -- but they don't need to know the "why" on such a large scale. Tell them to set up guard towers, and the answer to "why" should be "to keep the enemy from assaulting our flank," not "because a mystical ghost in the woods told me it was a good idea."

Overall, it was a good movie, however. I have to agree with whoever said it was similar to Oedipus; Oedipus was also cursed by his own overwhelming pride and arrogance.