Inmechon The movie's only flaw is also a virtue: It's jammed with characters, stories, warmth and laughs.

FirstWitch A movie that not only functions as a solid scarefest but a razor-sharp satire.

Nayan Gough A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.

Edison Witt The first must-see film of the year.

cubs2001 Like some other reviewers of Hidden Fortress, this was my first experience of an Akira Kurosawa film and unfortunately I was disappointed. There are several reasons for me finally viewing Hidden Fortress. One reason is that I have had several friends recommend this film and the main reason is because it is the inspiration for the Star Wars: A New Hope. I will first focus on why this film was such a disappointment for this reviewer. At first I thought the banter between the characters of Tahei and Matashichi was amusing. That being said, within ten minutes of this banter and their actions I was quickly annoyed by these characters. I kept hoping throughout the film that these two characters would develop into better and less annoying characters. Unfortunately this characters remained one dimensional with only a glimmer of growth at the end. In addition, the Princess Yuki character was just as annoying and whinny(at least during the first half). My second problem with Hidden Fortress is the pacing. The pacing of this film is tedious, aimless, and without a sense of urgency or suspense.I know that the characters of this film have to be cautions, but you would think there would a little urgency in getting the princess over hostile territory. That being said, I believe that Tahei and Matashichi hindered both the mission in the film and the film itself. The good of the film are the characters of General Rokurota and later Princess Yuki. Unlike two characters mentioned in this review, Yuki seems to demonstrate a sense of character development/depth. I would also say that my favorite character is The Old General. I actually cared about his character. Secondly, the direction and cinematography is absolutely gorgeous. And thirdly, the pacing during the second half improved and I felt some sense of suspense. I give the film a 6/10 and or a C+. I do look forward to watching Yojimbo sometime soon.

Tweekums As this film opens we see two peasants bickering; they sold what little they had to seek their fortunes in war and ended up on the losing side. They aren't even free for long as they are captured and forced to dig for treasure by their captors. Luckily they escape again and as they are sitting down to eat find a gold bar hidden in their firewood. The look for more but soon another man appears he tells them he is Rokurota Makabe, a famous general, but they don't believe him… they do however decide to go with him when he tells them he has the rest of the gold; unbeknownst to them the 'mute' accompanying the general is a princess wanted by the local warlord. They will have to avoid enemy forces and resist their own greed in they are to get back home with a share of the gold.This is another classic from director Akira Kurosawa which nicely mixes drama and comedy. The fact that the two main characters were driven by greed rather than any noble motivation made them funny as each attempt they made to get rich by double-crossing each other and the others in their party was doomed to failure; Minoru Chiaki and Kamatari Fujiwara do fine jobs in these roles. Equally good is Toshirô Mifune who plays the general; a more serious character but still able to provide a few laughs as well as some action. Misa Uehara is likable as the tomboyish Princess Yuki; a good strong female character. The story flows nicely and doesn't seem overly long despite being well over two hours long. If you are a fan of Kurosawa's other works or Japanese cinema in general this is a must see.These comments are based on watching the film in Japanese with English subtitles.

gavin6942 Lured by gold, two greedy peasants escort a man and woman across enemy lines. However, they do not realize that their companions are actually a princess and her general.Although for some of us, the name Toho calls to mind the films of Honda (notably "Godzilla"), it also allowed Kurosawa to make some of his best work -- this film, as well as "Rashomon". One has to admire a studio that was willing to make both artistic pictures and cheesy science fiction.I love that George Lucas used this film as inspiration. Not just the "princess in disguise" bit, but the whole concept of having the plot follow two bumbling, comic characters. Not knowing much about Lucas, I would never have pegged him to be interested in Japanese cinema, or maybe even classic film at all. Unlike Martin Scorsese, he never struck me that way.

Rotaconte90 One of the weakest Kurosawa's works. It has weak character development, although i loved Toshiro Mifune in Throne of Blood, Rashomon, 7 Samurai and the others, i disliked him in this, he behaves like typical feudal bourgeois, arrogant he treats two poor peasants like slaves, why are they so guilty of ? wanting a little money ? i guess it's realistic in the feudal word to view lower class like that like in Sansho the Bailiff but at least there is a good change in it. In this movie you'll see the weakest soldiers i'll ever saw, except the ones in Gary Daniel's movies. Mifune just takes their spear from their hands like they have baby strength. Some of the parts are OK, but some try comedy and humor that doesn't work with me. Over all you can skip this Kurosawa movie you won't miss much.