Well filmed in the style of a stage play by the master, Kurosawa. The cast is quite amazing, a who's who of Japanese film. Plenty of themes to ponder. But you have to be in the mood to watch a play, as there is virtually no action.

The stageiness hampers the film but Kurosawa does what he can with being limited to essentially a single set. It's all a bit unfocused but the characters are interesting enough to overcome it for the most part and at least a lot of the scenes are very enjoyable on their own, even if they're not tied together as well as they could be. Kurosawa's done much better but that shouldn't keep you from watching and appreciating it despite some flaws.

79.500

Kurosawa's a director who speaks largely in action and gestures. I can't think of any other Kurosawa film that's even close to being as dialogue-heavy as this. Being bound to one set seems to cramp his style, as does the absolute lack of scoring. However, this film certainly has some considerable assets. The compositions are striking as always, especially working in such a confined space. There's a lot of humor, some of it excellent. So it's not one of his worst, but it is definitely uneven.

A remake of the French original, it's a story about life and death among a loose collection of slum dwellers that shows how even the lowest people in the social order know how to party.

Fantastic,One of Kurasawa's best.

A great picture. Painfully emotional at times, but the comic relief definitely gets rid of that in a hurry, mostly by Bokuzen Hidari's character. Mifune as usual is great, and Kurosawa's camera shows the slum and its inhabitants despair with great potency, but at the same time brings out the best qualities of these characters and turns it into a heartwarming film.

I can't remember the last time I've seen so many fantastic actor performances together in one movie.

Not one, but two scenes of a character bursting into hysterics and fleeing the scene....I kind of wanted to follow. Nothing here works on the level you'd expect from Kurosawa in his prime. Overwrought drama of the strict, theatrical type.

Maxim Gorki´s Drama, perfectly adapted by Akira Kurosawa is abolutely great. The Lower Depth is a, somehow schizophrenic movie. On one hand the hopelessness of the protagonists is really sad, and it seems that no one ever got a chance to break out of their misery, and on the other hand most of them accept their situation. So they try to make the best of it. It´s an awesome drama with well elaborated characters and a very strong final act.

An extremely pessimistic film, but it retains a bit of a comedic element. This is the finest ensemble acting in a Kurosawa film outside of Seven Samurai, and the variety of cynical characters and their interactions are intriguing. Most notable is Bokuzen Hidari as the wise and optimistic pilgrim, and the one beacon of hope for the entire film. The camerawork is also quite dynamic, with great use of pans and deep focus. My only complaint is the absence of a score.