It was a pleasure to finally track down this masterpiece of Film-Noir by the redoubtable Akira Kurosawa. One of his earlier efforts, Stray Dog is nevertheless a masterful weaving of what we would come to expect from a film by the Japanese Maestro.
The legendary Toshiro Mifune stars as a police detective who gets his gun stolen on a crowded city bus. His cavalier attitude, seen earlier, is at once replaced by a clarity of purpose: Get the gun back, before something horrible happens.
Mifune's quest leads him to another, more seasoned detective (Takashi Shimura, another Japanese legend) who guides him through the heat and intensity of post-war Japan. On this journey the two men encounter one unique character after another, as scenes alternate between the sweat-inducing interrogation of an ex-girlfriend of the thief, to an amusing interlude with a young gigolo.
While one might assume that a Japanese film made so close to the end of the war would more than likely be mordant and lacking in wit, Stray Dog proves otherwise. It is very reminiscent of the best of Bogart, with it's seriousness laced with sarcasm and humor, incredible tension counteracted by moments of humor.
Atmosphere and mood are used to great advantage in this film. You can feel the frustration and exhaustion of Mifune as he moves frustratingly from one clue to another. The suffocating heat only raises the level of intensity. It's clear that he will come face-to-face with his quarry.
For those of you who love films like The Maltese Falcon, Out of the Past or even the King of Noir The Big Sleep, I suggest Stray Dog as a nice companion piece from the Far East.
The legendary Toshiro Mifune stars as a police detective who gets his gun stolen on a crowded city bus. His cavalier attitude, seen earlier, is at once replaced by a clarity of purpose: Get the gun back, before something horrible happens.
Mifune's quest leads him to another, more seasoned detective (Takashi Shimura, another Japanese legend) who guides him through the heat and intensity of post-war Japan. On this journey the two men encounter one unique character after another, as scenes alternate between the sweat-inducing interrogation of an ex-girlfriend of the thief, to an amusing interlude with a young gigolo.
While one might assume that a Japanese film made so close to the end of the war would more than likely be mordant and lacking in wit, Stray Dog proves otherwise. It is very reminiscent of the best of Bogart, with it's seriousness laced with sarcasm and humor, incredible tension counteracted by moments of humor.
Atmosphere and mood are used to great advantage in this film. You can feel the frustration and exhaustion of Mifune as he moves frustratingly from one clue to another. The suffocating heat only raises the level of intensity. It's clear that he will come face-to-face with his quarry.
For those of you who love films like The Maltese Falcon, Out of the Past or even the King of Noir The Big Sleep, I suggest Stray Dog as a nice companion piece from the Far East.