I have just started watching Kurosawa's film-noirs, and this is the second one I've seen so far. The first one I saw was Stray Dog which I believe is slightly better paced than this one which gets a bit too slow in some parts.
The photography is simply magnificent, the depth and the contrasts really bring the characters to life, Kurosawa's directing is at its best with many great shots. The acting is also very good, especially Toshiro Mifune, but not only him, the other characters, both the "bad" and the "good" are very well portrayed.
The plot is quite complex to understand at the beginning. The reporters in the opening scene of the movie who comment the marriage act like a classic theatrical chorus, it's quite confusing because they mention many names and events. But as the story unfolds the pieces start to fit together and everything starts to appear clearly until the revelation of Nishi's true identity. From then on the movie turns into a revenge-story. The ending is so shattering that all that's left to say is "The Bad Sleep Well".
I give this movie an 8/10 because I don't give 10's and as I said it's slightly too slow at times. The best thing about the film is that it simply DOES NOT compromise.
The photography is simply magnificent, the depth and the contrasts really bring the characters to life, Kurosawa's directing is at its best with many great shots. The acting is also very good, especially Toshiro Mifune, but not only him, the other characters, both the "bad" and the "good" are very well portrayed.
The plot is quite complex to understand at the beginning. The reporters in the opening scene of the movie who comment the marriage act like a classic theatrical chorus, it's quite confusing because they mention many names and events. But as the story unfolds the pieces start to fit together and everything starts to appear clearly until the revelation of Nishi's true identity. From then on the movie turns into a revenge-story. The ending is so shattering that all that's left to say is "The Bad Sleep Well".
I give this movie an 8/10 because I don't give 10's and as I said it's slightly too slow at times. The best thing about the film is that it simply DOES NOT compromise.