71.250

A mixed - and pretty disappointing - bag from Kurosawa. Most of the characters are kind of two-dimensional with the exception of Shimura's conflicted lawyer. Even Mifune's performance isn't noteworthy, and though the initial struggle between him and the tabloid is pretty intense, the court room scenes are weak and unconvincingly scripted. The movie ends on too high of a note.

One of Kurosawa's most Westernized pictures, and somewhat blander for it. I detect a Frank Capra influence... one can't help but think of It's a Wonderful Life during the "Auld Lang Syne" scene, and the ending has shades of Mr. Smith Goes to Washington. Shimura and Mifune are both off, with the former giving a little too much and the latter not quite enough. The photographic technique is excellent, of course, and if it's not a major piece of the Kurosawa canon, at least it's watchable.

An enjoyable picture, even if the ending can be seen coming a mile off. And a far better use of "Auld Lang Syne" than Capra could ever have pulled off.