There are so many little epic moments in this film

And it would take forever to name them all, but a few that really stood out to me happen during the siege on the third castle:

* The look on the soldier's face when he's holding his severed arm
* Lord Hidetora throwing the broken sword at the soldiers on the stairs
* The soldier stumbling around with the arrow in his eyes
* Lord Hidetora stumbling through the burning building & out onto the battlefield
and the way his expression changes throughout

I could go on & on about this scene, which I'm sure has been talked about and analyzed to death, and better than I ever could. The one thing, however, that stands out above everything else is when a soldier on foot is killed by a warrior on horseback. The actor then falls to the ground and lies there, motionless, while a group of riders runs by him, nearly trampling him.

This was the first Kurosawa film I saw and it was enough to compel me to begin devouring as many AK movies as I have been able to ever since. Watching this film, especially the siege sequence, is one of the greatest initial viewings I've ever experienced. I've since seen Kagemusha, Seven Samurai, Yojimbo, Sanjuro, Throne of Blood, Rashomon, and The Hidden Fortress.