Tatsuya Nakadai

Ran -- Akira Kurosawa's brilliantly conceived re-telling of Shakespeare's King Lear magically mixes Japanese history, Shakespeare's plot and Kurosawa's own feelings about loyalty in the masterpiece, RAN. Set in 16th century Japan Lord Hidetora, announces his intention to divide his land equally among his three sons. Hidetora's decision to step down unleashes a power struggle between the three heirs.

Yojimbo -- The incomparable Toshiro Mifune stars in Akira Kurosawa's visually stunning and darkly comic Yojimbo. To rid a terror-stricken village of corruption, wily masterless samurai Sanjuro turns a range war between two evil clans to his own advantage. Remade twice, by Sergio Leone and Walter Hill, this exhilarating genre-twister remains one of the most influential and entertaining films of all time.

Akira Kurosawa's brilliantly conceived re-telling of Shakespeare's King Lear magically mixes Japanese history, Shakespeare's plot and Kurosawa's own feelings about loyalty in the epic masterpiece, Ran. Set in 16th century Japan, an aging ruler, Lord Hidetora (Tatsuya Nakadai), announces his intention to divide his land equally among his three sons. Hidetora’s decision to step down unleashes a power struggle between the three heirs when he falls prey to the false flattery bestowed upon him by the two older sons and banishes the youngest for speaking the truth. That ruthless betrayal ultimately drives Hidetora insane, destroying his entire family and kingdom. Deep human emotion and outstanding acting combine to create one of the most acclaimed foreign films of all time.

Legendary Japanese auteur Akira Kurosawa sets Shakespeare's classic tragedy "King Lear" against a samurai backdrop, re-envisioning the timeless story through the eyes of a warlord who transfers his kingdom to his eldest son.

Akira Kurosawa's brilliantly conceived re-telling of Shakespeare's King Lear magically mixes Japanese history, Shakespeare's plot and Kurosawa's own feelings about loyalty in the masterpiece, RAN. Set in 16th century Japan Lord Hidetora, announces his intention to divide his land equally among his three sons. Hidetora's decision to step down unleashes a power struggle between the three heirs.

Akira Kurosawa's brilliantly conceived re-telling of Shakespeare's King Lear magically mixes Japanese history, Shakespeare's plot and Kurosawa's own feelings about loyalty in the masterpiece, RAN. Set in 16th century Japan Lord Hidetora, announces his intention to divide his land equally among his three sons. Hidetora's decision to step down unleashes a power struggle between the three heirs.

Akira Kurosawa retells Shakespeare's classic tragedy King Lear against a samurai backdrop. Lord Hidetora is a warlord who transfers his kingdom to his eldest son. A power struggle ensues, incited by his two disinherited younger sons.

Three warlord clans are battling for control of medieval Japan. When the leader of the Takeda clan, Lord Shingen (Tatsuya Nakadai), is mortally wounded, he orders that his death be kept secret from his enemies. The clan searches for a "shadow warrior," an exact double, to take his place. Now, a thief named Kagemusha (Nakadai in a double role) must fight for an empire in this stunning film from legendary Japanese filmmaker Akira Kurosawa.

In Hideo Gosha's film, loyalty and ambition lead to tragic consequences for a yakuza boss (Tatsuya Nakadai) and his bodyguard.

Tatsuya Nakadai and Toshiro Mifune star in the story of a wandering samurai who exists in a maelstrom of violence. A gifted swordsman?plying his trade during the turbulent final days of Shogunate rule?Ryunosuke (Nakadai) kills without remorse, without mercy. It is a way of life that ultimately leads to madness.

Toshiro Mifune swaggers and snarls to brilliant comic effect in Akira Kurosawa?s tightly paced, beautifully composed Sanjuro. In this sly companion piece to Yojimbo, jaded samurai Sanjuro helps an idealistic group of young warriors weed out their clan?s evil influences, and in the process turns their image of a ?proper? samurai on its ear. Less brazen in tone than its predecessor but equally entertaining, this classic character?s return is a masterpiece in its own right.

Following the collapse of his clan, unemployed samurai Hanshiro Tsugumo (Tatsuya Nakadai) arrives at the manor of Lord Iyi, begging to commit ritual suicide on his property. Iyi's clansmen, believing the desperate ronin is merely angling for charity, try to force him to eviscerate himself-but they have underestimated his honor and his past. Winner of the 1963 Cannes Film Festival's Special Jury Prize, Masaki Kobayashi's HARAKIRI is a scathing denouncement of feudal authority and hypocrisy.