When people think of cinematic masters perhaps they think of the low hanging fruit like Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, Martin Scorsese, Francis Ford Coppola or, as they are colloquially known, the “Movie Brats”. What all of these directors share is inspiration from another legend known as Akira Kurosawa. The impact of his legacy is can be attributed to his painstaking attention to aspects like blocking, shot composition, and wardrobe. For another less-experienced director, thinking of ways to tell a story as riveting as possible while also leaving enough energy to tell it precisely and consistently would prove a colossal undertaking. However, a maestro like Kurosawa never misses with each chance he gets. His signature masterful blocking gives the audience the ability to read the frame like a book. Overflowing with creativity, he introduces a multitude of layers into the mise en scene about each character and their dynamics with each other. He is such a virtuoso that he makes each shot look effortless.

Videos like this never fail to excite because they adapt so well to the source material they are about. Each point is reinforced by countless examples that catch the eye. The math behind his shots have effectively been broken down so that they become very simple. This appreciation for the simple shows us how masterful his creative decisions are and how well they work. It is admittedly easy to call anybody a genius, but after the word has been heavily used, this is one time that I would say that description is accurate. Just One more Thing finds the best aspects of Kurosawa as a director that make him what most people revere to ground the title “genius” with wonderful examples.