Way too sunburned to think, but:

* tied to a period of history in Japan so rich with history it is often considered the stuff of legends; Kurosawa takes this and builds a whole new legend out of it.

* so rich in color it could fund a small nation's budget if color were money.

* what would this film have been if Mifune were still working with Kurosawa in 1980?

* the occasional shadow play in this is delightful.

* perhaps some irony in that the thief is haunted by living up to the greatness of the warlord, but he continually shows a gentler sort of greatness throughout the film (his connection with the grandson, for instance, and his willingness to play the part/his reasons for it).

* Kurosawa directed a fair few sweeping, huge epics in his day, but still I feel they were far too few.