Now the world don’t move…

19. Rashomon (Akira Kurosawa, 1950)

In this episode Mr. Drummond, Arnold, and Willis foil a burglary but each recalls the event happening differently.

Mr. Drummond in his remembrance of the crime, uses his street smarts(I am sure learned on the sunny beaches of Lethbridge, Alberta) to foil the robbery. I think he even pulls the old “hey look over there” trick to get the gun from the robber. In the end the robber is knocked out with a karate chop and all is well.

But Willis remembers differently. He recalls Mr. Drummond(dad) trying but failing to stop the burglar, and Arnold being to scared to approach the robber. But Willis being both black and a future champion of Celebrity Boxing demonstrates no fear and wastes the robber.

Arnold however remembers differently. I prefer to think of it as being sour grapes, I mean why would Willis lie? Arnold is just jealous that he has some kidney disease. Anyway Arnold’s version involves him busting out some badass karate or kung-fu or something to defeat the robber. This is the highlight of the episode which is severely lacking in Dana Plato. It’s comedy at its finest. Arnold and his midgetry taking down a full grown robber. It’s really magic.

Anyway the whole point of the episode is that the truth has many different faces, and everyone remembers differently. I think I was supposed to learn something. But without Nancy Reagan to guide me I was at a loss. Oh well. I guess the moral is don’t get robbed, or look both ways or something.

On filmaffinity.com I gave this film an 8/10(a strong 8 mind you). I actually didn’t like the film once it finished, but as I thought about it more, I realized it was awesome. Kurosawa is ballin’.