Runtime: 98 minutes
Directed by: Akira Kurosawa
Starring: Takashi Shimura, Toshiro Mifune, Reizaburo Yamamoto, Michiyo Kogure, Chieko Nakakita
From: Toho
Shamefully, I hadn’t seen any Akira Kurosawa new to me in about 2 ½ years; this was a major oversight so when Turner Classic Movies played this movie late last night, the choice was obvious. Not only was this the director’s breakout hit, it was the first collaboration w/ Toshiro Mifune & the other lead was Takashi Shimura.
The tale isn’t upbeat: the setting is a slum with an open cesspool shown often. Shimura is talented doctor Sanada, crippled by a severe case of alcoholism; this is why he is stuck treating patients like Yakuza member Mifune (Matsunaga), who he first treated for a hand injury. He then discovers that Matsunaga has a bad case of TB; the doctor attempts to change the self-destructive nature of his patient-or even have him believe the illness is legitimate-but that might be an impossible task.
Despite the flawed lead duo-along with other troubled characters like Sanada’s nurse Miyo (whose abusive ex is a Yakuza member about to release from prison), there are moments of optimism throughout, including a young high school lady who is having her TB treated by the doctor. Sanada’s bedside manner is rather gruff yet he does care about his patients, even bad actors like Matsunaga. This relationship also allows Sanada to examine his own flaws.
I don’t need to explain how well Kurosawa did in the director’s chair or that the cast did a swell job-and not just the famous names. Worthy of mention is that the cesspool is a metaphor representing Japan struggling in its attempts to recover from World War II, a lingering theme throughout Drunken Angel. The film is mature yet thankfully not overwhelming in its grim nature. After all, Matsunaga is fatalistic, believing he’ll eventually die anyway… props to the makeup that augment Mifune’s performance, representing the deterioration of his body. I will also give props to Shimura for his role that wasn’t the good-hearted pleasantness I’m used to him embody in his typical parts, whether it be in Kurosawa or multiple Godzilla films.
I will not be a fool that waits this long before viewing then reviewing another Kurosawa picture.
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