Kurosawa's deft interlacing of Japan's troubled après-guerre generation with a police procedural yields profund results as it questions why we become who we are. Mifune is versatile as Murakami, a rookie detective who wanders between inexperience and frightening determination, but it is the contrast provided by Shimura's world weary Sato that defines the film's theme. These powerful roles are reinforced by complex shots that capture the characters in the context of the world around them.

Whereas in the beginning there's a sort of dialectical relationship between Shimura's black-and-white, quietly domestic moral code and Mifune's more ambivalent stance, rooted in his identification with his thief, by the film's end, the movie has adopted Shimura's viewpoint in full. The moralizing unfortunately gets in the way of the best parts: a girl's chaotic tumbling in a dress paid for in blood, the climactic meeting of Mifune and his counterpart, the depiction of Tokyo as a pressure cooker.

In terms of Kurosawa's output this is just another "Crime drama." But impressively and a testament to his brilliance and consistency it is also multifaceted, and full of great characterisation. Japanese culture pervades this. Honor, respect, mentoring. Kurosawa manages to capture raw emotion, without over-complicating matters, to show us the pitfalls of overreacting to situtions in an emotional matter. Generally the reality is far different from the "horrible truth" that we create for ourselves.

What looks like a standard cop story turns out to be a critique of the way capitalism can corrupt moral people. Mifune, though, resists in the most upright and compassionate way. Some other performances seem melodramatic in comparison. The climactic fight and chase are terrific, though.

948

Early Kurosawa exposing the plights inherent in a post-war society that is trying to rebuild itself as well as figure out how its people are supposed to fit into it. So good.

Absolutely perfect.

Overlooked, but definitely not underrated. Shimura and Mifune in top form here.

hava cok sicaktir. genc polis memurunun bir hatasi onu sucun dogasiyla ve sonuclariyla net bir sekilde tanistirir. ihtiyar polis, olay orgusu ve uslubuyla o donemki hollywood filmlerini animsatan (ya da nuvesi olmus) bir polisiye. isin etik yanina yogunlastigi bolumlerinde oldukca basarili.

really solid and atmospheric, but how the hell did toshiro mifune's character get to be a homicide detective

A terrific procedural drama. It may also be the sweatiest movie ever made, as it takes place during a heatwave that suffuses Tokyo for the majority of the film until a crucial third act rainstorm. Ultimately the film comes down to how personal accountability, or a lack thereof, creates a divergence in the post-war generation of Japan.

Really interesting plot. It sounds really stupid but as it develops it becomes so engrossing. Good stuff.

#979

88.375

Kurosawa's noir alternates between sequences of grit and frenzy and quiet, philosophical talks. This pulse-pause-pulse action makes for a thoroughly engrossing film, in which the heat, sweat, and stink of the city are almost palpable elements for the viewer. The two leads, while each going on to deliver much more masterful performances in later Kurosawa, play off each other with style, grace, and a great attention to detail.

What can I say? I got a little bored about 2/3rds of the way through the film. However, the first 30 minutes or so are just fantastic. Great momentum to the "hunt," if you can call it that. This is my first Kurosawa experience. I wasn't blown away, but I was impressed at how well the movie holds up over time. There's a lot going on in this film. It's certainly unique. I intend to delve deeper into Kurosawa's filmography.

A surprisingly good (if you didn't already know the Kurosawa name) and modern-feeling film considering it's 60 years old. If you are the least bit interested in the Japanese culture, the World War II era (specifically its atermath), or just a good down-to-earth detective drama, then this film is for you. It doesn't have spectacular chase scenes or an omniscient protagonist, and those are exactly why it's so good.

# 712

Not only one of the best police dramas of all time, it's also one of the best ap-ap-apres-guerre (to quote Sato) films I've ever seen. The fact that some people call "Stray Dog" one of Kurosawa's "lesser" movies tells you more about the man's genius than about the quality of this film.

A solid movie, both entertainmentwise and artistically, it's a good precursor to Kurosawa's greats. For some reason, I felt like there was a little something missing, where every time the movie flirted with greatness it retreated back to safety of a more conventional narrative. This is especially true with the ending, which while great overall, should have ended a couple of lines of dialogue earlier. To be fair, it probably suffers only from being compared to the rest of Kurosawa's filmography

Mifune, Shimura, it's all spades here.

The fact that this isn't considered one of Kurosawa's masterpieces is perhaps only because he had so many of them. You have to draw the line somewhere, and it's fairly easy to boot out Stray Dog, which is "just" a crime drama (even though it's slightly more than that). But it is an expertly made film, and except for the excessively long black market montage, it's hard to find fault with the craftsmanship.