The Hidden Fortress

1958 | 139 minutes | 7.9 ★ (608)

The Hidden Fortress
  • Overview

    In feudal Japan, during a bloody war between clans, two cowardly and greedy peasants, soldiers of a defeated army, stumble upon a mysterious man who guides them to a fortress hidden in the mountains.

  • Release Date

    28 December 1958

  • DirectingAkira Kurosawa
  • Budget

    $0.00

  • Revenue

    $0.00

  • Stars

Videos

User Reviews

See more
CS

CinemaSerf

24 January 2023

Now though top billing and much of the screen time is afforded to Kurosawa regular Toshirô Mifune ("Gen. Makabe") this film really belongs to the two opportunistic farmers "Matakichi" (Kamatari Fujiwara) and "Tahei" (Minori Chiaki). These two chancers learn of a fortune in gold hidden away after their land is invaded by their neighbours. Off they set to discover it, and along the way stumble upon the general in his mountain-top eerie. Now it's not really a fortress, more a big shack at the top of a hill, but they soon discover it hides something way more valuable than gold. The Princess "Yuki" (Misa Uehara) who is wanted by her enemies even more than the treasure. Their bumbling ineptitude and curiosity married with their greed and of course - acute sense of self preservation - leads them to join with the fleeing couple and for all four to try and smuggle the princess and the loot to the safety of an adjacent kingdom where safety awaits. What ensues now is a series of entertaining and perilous adventures that allow each character to take centre stage. Mifune is very much in his element as the loyal, chivalrous - and pretty lethal - general; the Princess is no shrinking violet either and along the way we are entertained to an engaging assessment of the venality, mendacity and couragousness of war - it brings out the best and the worst in everyone. There is an almost Laurel and Hardy feeling to the end of this perfectly paced adventure film, which certainly raises a smile and I thoroughly enjoyed this.

More Like This

Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster

Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster

After a meteorite unleashes a three-headed beast upon Tokyo, Mothra tries to unite with Godzilla and Rodan to battle the extraterrestrial threat.

See more
Tokyo Decadence

Tokyo Decadence

A submissive hooker goes about her trade, suffering abuse at the hands of Japanese salarymen and Yakuza types. She's unhappy about her work, and is...

See more
Rashomon

Rashomon

Brimming with action while incisively examining the nature of truth, "Rashomon" is perhaps the finest film ever to investigate the philosophy of...

See more
The Last Samurai

The Last Samurai

Nathan Algren is an American hired to instruct the Japanese army in the ways of modern warfare, which finds him learning to respect the samurai and...

See more
Soldier of Orange

Soldier of Orange

The lives of Erik Lanshof and five of his closest friends take different paths when the German army invades the Netherlands in 1940: fight and...

See more
Kill Bill: Vol. 1

Kill Bill: Vol. 1

An assassin is shot by her ruthless employer, Bill, and other members of their assassination circle – but she lives to plot her vengeance.

See more
Dangerous Beauty

Dangerous Beauty

Veronica is brilliant, gifted and beautiful, but the handsome aristocrat she loves, Marco Venier, cannot marry her because she is penniless and of...

See more
Weathering with You

Weathering with You

The summer of his high school freshman year, Hodaka runs away from his remote island home to Tokyo, and quickly finds himself pushed to his...

See more
The Inner Palace Conspiracy

The Inner Palace Conspiracy

A period mystery in which an unconventional priest exposes the truth behind the bizarre death of a maid in the shogun's harem. Kinuyo Tanaka...

See more
Sensuikan Cappellini-gou no bouken

Sensuikan Cappellini-gou no bouken

Based on a real story during WWII where Japanese naval soldiers met Italians who were in the submarine Comandante Cappellini used to transport...

See more
Spirit World

Spirit World

Legendary singer Claire Emery (Deneuve) flies to Japan for a final sold-out concert. But when the show ends, so does Claire’s life on earth...

See more
Kikujiro

Kikujiro

Brash, loudmouthed and opportunistic, Kikujiro is the unlikely companion for Masao who is determined to see the mother he has never met. The two...

See more
The King of Jail Breakers

The King of Jail Breakers

Masayuki Suzuki (Itsuji Itao) is known as "Datsugoku Oh" (King of Escape) because of his incredible ability to escape from any prison. Even though...

See more
Wakanohana: The Story of the Devil of the Dohyō

Wakanohana: The Story of the Devil of the Dohyō

A film about sumo wrestler Wakanohana Kanji I. He was nicknamed "Devil of the dohyo" due to his excellent fighting spirit and endurance.

See more
Ghost Ship Part 2

Ghost Ship Part 2

Jiromaru (Kinnosuke Nakamura) investigates the dark "Ghost Ship" in search of his father. Meanwhile, Princess Yuki (Yumiko Hasegawa) and Chacha...

See more
Highlander III: The Sorcerer

Highlander III: The Sorcerer

Starts off in the 15th century, with Connor McLeod training with another immortal swordsman, the Japanese sorcerer Nakano. When an evil immortal...

See more
The Bucket List

The Bucket List

Corporate billionaire Edward Cole and working class mechanic Carter Chambers are worlds apart. At a crossroads in their lives, they share a...

See more
Sonatine

Sonatine

Murakawa, an aging Tokyo yakuza tiring of gangster life, is sent by his boss to Okinawa along with a few of his henchmen to help end a gang war...

See more
The Return of Martin Guerre

The Return of Martin Guerre

Village of Artigat, southern France, summer 1542, during the reign of Francis I. Martin Guerre and Bertrande de Rols marry. A few years later...

See more
Rapture

Rapture

José Sirgado is a low-budget filmmaker whose heroin addiction distorts his perspective of the real world. Although he is a depressed and unstable...

See more