In addition to its chaotic elements, "Ran" also contains a strong element of nihilism, which is present from the opening sequence, where Hidetora mercilessly hunts down a boar only to refrain from eating it, to the last scene with Tsurumaru. Roger Ebert describes "Ran" as "a 20th-century film set in medieval times, in which an old man can arrive at the end of his life having won all his battles, and foolishly thinks he still has the power to settle things for a new generation. But life hurries ahead without any respect for historical continuity; his children have their own lusts and furies. His will is irrelevant, and they will divide his spoils like dogs tearing at a carcass."