Straight up, I didn't enjoy Ran nearly as much as I thought I would, though not for the reason you might think. Essentially, the movie is Shakespeare's King Lear, only in Japan with the Samurai. In both high school and college, I have read and reread King Lear so many times that I know the story backwards and forwards. As a result, the film's plot was not a surprise to me at all: I knew pretty much what was going to happen and when. It kinda sucks when you know the ending before the film even begins.
However, if you don't know the story by heart, the film is absolutely spectacular. The cinematography is excellent, highlighting feudal Japan's wide-open spaces. Even the interior shots feel open and unconfined. The whole effect gives the film a grand, epic feeling. It reminds me of a Sergio Leone western, unsurprising since Leone was a student of director Akira Kurosawa's work.
Acting is good, I guess. I'm not familiar at all with Japanese cinema (this was the first Japanese film I've ever seen), so I cannot really comment on it. I can say that it did not feel forced or over-the-top, though.
While I didn't like Ran as much as I hoped I would, it is still a magnificent film and is definitely worth a watch.
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