STRAY DOG is a relatively early crime film in the career of Japanese auteur Akira Kurosawa. The storyline sees Kurosawa regular Toshiro Mifune at his very best, playing a stressed-out cop who discovers that his Colt pistol has been pickpocketed. Thus begins a frantic search for the missing weapon, which is soon being used to inflict violence upon the innocent.
The best thing about STRAY DOG is the contemporary setting of a run-down and heat-baked Japan. The story is set during a heatwave and even the viewer ends up feeling stuffy thanks to the incessant heat that seems to beat off the screen in waves. The culmination of this is the film's finest moment, a sweat-soaked chase through the woods at the climax. It's pretty heavy stuff.
Otherwise, this is good but not as gripping as Kurosawa's other works. The characters are quite slight in comparison to his previous effort DRUNKEN ANGEL, although Takashi Shimura puts in a likable performance as always. The plot is quite simple and a little too talky in places, but the director makes up for this with a fantastic sense of setting and a delightfully sleazy supporting cast.
The best thing about STRAY DOG is the contemporary setting of a run-down and heat-baked Japan. The story is set during a heatwave and even the viewer ends up feeling stuffy thanks to the incessant heat that seems to beat off the screen in waves. The culmination of this is the film's finest moment, a sweat-soaked chase through the woods at the climax. It's pretty heavy stuff.
Otherwise, this is good but not as gripping as Kurosawa's other works. The characters are quite slight in comparison to his previous effort DRUNKEN ANGEL, although Takashi Shimura puts in a likable performance as always. The plot is quite simple and a little too talky in places, but the director makes up for this with a fantastic sense of setting and a delightfully sleazy supporting cast.