Drunken Angel (Japan, 1948) – 3.5/5
Solid post-war noir with Toshiro Mifune and Takashi Shimura as young yakuza and drunken doctor, both troubled men with big ego, but brought together by chance. While not as good as many of Kurosawa’s later films, Drunken Angel remains interesting throughout. The film was produced during the era of American censorship in Japan, however, Kurosawa managed to include various “blacklisted” themes such as prostitution, war destruction, and black market. The strongest western influence was, ironically, found in the way his gangsters dress.
Stray Dog (Japan, 1949) – 3.5/5
Slightly uneven but impressive noir by Kurosawa. The young Toshiro Mifune is excellent as a guilt ridden policeman whose gun has been stolen by a pickpocket. He joins the investigation of his own “case” with an older detective (Takashi Shimura). The film has some pacing issues during the first half, but the second hour is excellent. Mifune and Shimura make a terrific duo – the scene where the two sit down and share their differing views on “bad people” is a specific highlight. Such scenes make one wish more modern cop films managed something even remotely comparable, as opposed to pairing Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker...
