Throne of Blood opens in definitive Akira Kurosawa fashion as we hear the sounds of the wind matched by the image of a thick fog absorbing over the landscape, immediately capturing the essential atmospheric tone of the film. Over these images of the foggy landscapes we hear a group singing a song, recalling that of a traditional Japanese Noh play.

Legendary Japanese filmmaker Akira Kurosawa's Throne of Blood is a film which continues to grow on me and has since surpassed Ran, High and Low, and Rashomon as my favorite Kurosawa film. It's truly a mind-blowing, intense adaptation of Shakespeare's Macbeth transported into medieval Japan. The film is stunningly beautiful and incredibly thrilling all at once. Kurosawa's style is in full throttle here. The atmosphere of the film is certainly among the greatest in cinema history. The lighting, shadows and particularly the use of fog, generate a haunting and dreamlike mood. Throne of Blood contains scenes of pure art, beauty, compelling storytelling, intense battle sequences, and creepiness. The film's final scene is especially brilliant, and reminiscent of Kurosawa's later work in his masterpiece Ran. Also, Kurosawa regular Toshiro Mifune gives possibly his greatest performance. Throne of Blood is an emotionally charged, flawless artistic masterwork.

In terms of influence and respect, Akira Kurosawa rates alongside the most important and beloved filmmakers in the entire world. Kurosawa's praise is particularly strong with Western audiences where is influence is equally undeniable. Kurosawa began as a writer and assistant director in the 1930s before making his feature filmmaking debut with 1943's Judo Saga. He would continue making all types of different films (some of which were very good- notably 1949's simplistic noir Stray Dog, before reaching worldwide status and acclaim with the release of the groundbreaking 1950 masterpiece Rashomon. The film displays Kurosawa's ability with psychological human behavior as well as his visual precision. The narrative structure (which is equally effortless and complex) stands as a monumental achievement in film history and remains heavily influence today. From this moment on, Kurosawa was an international success and his popularity particularly grew with Westerns audiences. Kurosawa's most beloved and well-regarded feature is perhaps 1954's Seven Samurai, which is often citied among the greatest films of all-time. Starring his two definitive actors (Takashi Shimura and Toshiro Mifune, who he collaborated with throughout his career) The Seven Samurai and Yojimbo are the films that probably most represent Kurosawa's beloved popularity and influence in the West (both films equally borrow and redefine the American Western film genre). To me, Kurosawa's greatest achievements as a filmmaker are his Shakespeare adaptations (1957's Throne of Blood and 1985's Ran). Ran is the definitive film of Kurosawa's career. It is a film he wanted to make his entire life, but wisely waited until he was older and the material became more personal. Ran sort of stands as the final statement of Kurosawa's themes and filmmaking style. It's spectacular and powerful and poetic and breathtaking in its philosophy and humanity. His last three features (Dreams, Rhapsody in August and Madadayo) are flawed but deeply personal and meditative reflections of themes he incorporated throughout his career (including humanity, nature, and death). Kurosawa's films sometimes tend to border on peachiness and sentiment yet there is no doubt they are effective and stand among the most influential and memorable. He was a master storyteller with a skillful visual craftsmanship and many of his films have been inspired or remade in all different forms. In 1990 Kurosawa earned an Honorary Oscar from the Academy and in 1999 (a year after his death) his native Japan finally honored him with a Lifetime Achievement Award.