Rashomon (In the Woods) - 3 stars out of 10

Rashomon (In the Woods) - 3 stars out of 10

The synopsis sounded awesome. The film was mediocre. A series of contradictory stories from the perspectives of witnesses reveals the details of a rape/murder while the viewer tries to decide what is true and what is false. Conceptually, it is great and inspired many films to use this technique, my favorite of which is "Clue." Unlike its modern equivalents, "Rashomon" never confirms which version of the story (if any) is true. Unfortunately, this film lacks in the acting category. Every time that the Bandit laughs, I just wanted to slap him. The film got better as the film progressed, delivering about 40 minutes of entertainment. Unfortunately, it drops off again during the final battle scene. I understand that it's making a statement of how different the characters are from the Woodcutter's perspective, but it was annoying to watch a few Japanese guys keep falling on the ground for 15 minutes. It's an historical piece but I'd rather watch a modern film that also uses the multiple-perspective concept.