MUBI

Okay, so before I begin this review, let’s just get this out of the way. This is an Akira Kurosawa film, as in it was directed by- so, you know, done deal. If you’re a movie man or woman of any merit whatsoever you don’t need to hear anymore. Akira Kurosawa; that is all!
And for the unacquainted, get acquainted!
Stray Dog is the story of a young Japanese detective who is robbed of his pistol on a commuter bus in post-war Tokyo. As he begins a desperate search for his lost pistol he discovers a ruthless killer is using it to go on a bit of a rampage. The film documents his search for the pistol through st-war tokyo, his guilt at knowing the deaths he’s investigating are in no small part his fault, and the psychological pathology of the killer.
Starring Toshiro Mifune (or as I call him, the Japanese Jimmy Stewart, John Wayne and Orson Welles hybrid) and Takashi Shimura (Amazingtastic if ever the not-quite-a-word were appropriate) star as the fledgling detective and the older, wiser cop who takes the young pup under his wing during the most traumatic case of his career. They are accompanied by other incredible actors, but they own the show, especially Mifune, who is one of the most intense actors to ever grace the screen. One can see his pain, his guilt at knowing the bullets he loaded into a gun are taking lives.
Also fantastic, Akira Kurosawa’s descent into the world of post-war Tokyo; he highlights every poverty stricken street and the feeling of loss that stains the picture.
In short, the film is mesmerizing, painful, and glorious; watching the fucking thing, smiling all the while, or I will find and destroy you.

An earlier work with Mifune as the erratic, error prone, but driven beat cop determined to make up for loosing his departmental – issued gun. Kurosawa takes the viewer on a post WW II adventure through the seedy streets and back alleys of neighborhoods and crime ridden lifestyles of a Japan that will soon disappear. With economic boom looming around the future corner and just over the horizon we gleam a rare last glimpse of this pre-modern nation. Fascinating in it’s simplicity and raw elements.

Amateurish in ways, the energy of Mifune is undeniable as he eats up the screen on energy alone. This perfect match of actor and director ekes out their initial compatibility that will serve the next dozen films or so. We are witnessing the beginnings of one of the most incredible partnerships in cinematic history. Despite the few short falls this is a terrific story beautifully shot in varying shades of gray. A sharper focus is up next with the even more cunning and prolific Drunken Angel. Not to be missed by film noir fans and cultural historians alike, Stray Dog lies the foundation for the modern crime story for here on a true original.

Early film-noir from Akira Kurosawa stars Toshiro Mifune as a rookie detective in post-war Japan who has his gun pickpocketed. With the help of seasoned veteran Takashi Shimura, he spends the rest of the film tracking it down, leading him into the Tokyo underworld and onto the path of a killer. While influenced by French detective novels (there is a lot of attention to the procedural aspects of detective work, similar to Jean-Pierre Melville), the film is really a portrait of a Tokyo trying to bulid itself back up from WWII. The black market runs rampant; Western and Japanese culture sit uncomfortably beside each other; and Western materialism has eroded the fabric of Japanese society. Film also precedes the work of John Woo and Michael Mann in illustrating the classic cop / killer duality. Just like the killer, Mifune also came out of service during the war to have all his belongings stolen; but unlike him, who despondently turned to a life of crime, he became a cop. The aspect of moral choice is an important theme here, as in many of Kurosawa’s films. In the riventing showdown between the two at the climax, you can barely even tell them apart. Moody cinematography by Asakazu Nakai is both noir-ish (night scenes often take place in the shadows) and lush (the scenes at the nightclub remind one of von Sternberg), conveying the extreme heat of the summer. No suprise that Mifune is stunning — conveying a controlled intensity and sorrow that is among his best work. Underappreciated film is key in the developing maturity of Kurosawa — it is the only film of his that is clearly influenced by Italian neo-realism — before exploding onto the international scene with Rashomon.

As with many of Criterion’s Kurosawa DVDs, the highlight is the excerpt from his Something Like An Autobiography, relating in his typical self-effacing humour the making of the film (which was the smoothest shoot he has ever done). There is also a good Japanese TV documentary, and a very informative (if over-explanatory) commentary by author Stephen Prince (The Warrior’s Camera: The Cinema of Akira Kurosawa) not only detailing the making of the film, and placing it in the context of the chaotic post-WWII Japanese film industry, but also analyzing its themes and motifs very well.