"Kagemusha" is such a gratifying come-back picture for a justifiably revered filmmaker that one feels churlish harboring certain reservations.

At worst, the film is an empty vessel that places blind trust in affected stillness and symmetry. But Kagemusha quite often switches on a dime to more deep and meaningful textures.

From the symbolic opening to the haunting final battle, “Kagemusha” remains a triumph, a brushstroke on the canvas of cinema's finest.

An epic tale of smoke and mirrors set in a period rife with political intrigue.