Matthew B
Stray Dog, an early production by Akira Kurosawa, might be said to be one of the first Japanese detective films, and an eastern take on the traditional police procedural drama. Kurosawa often uses the weather as a pathetic fallacy in his movies, and Stray Dog is no exception here.
It is impossible to ignore the unpleasant effects of the sun that is burning down on the streets of Tokyo in this film. It is present in almost every scene. Characters frequently remark on how hot it is. They regularly mop their faces. Shirts are soaked through. Fans, both paper and electric, are seen. Sometimes the humidity leads to heavy rainfall, as in the movie's climax. Storm clouds break up the empty sky in anticipation.
If you want a symbol for it, you could see the heat as representing the state of post-war Japan, a country recovering from the effects of the Second World War. A number of former soldiers have come home, and are struggling to readjust to civilian life. The opening image is of a dog panting in the heat, and the dog represents the movie's main human antagonist too. "A stray dog becomes a mad dog," one character later remarks.
The leading character here is a homicide detective called Murakami (Toshiro Mifune), a young and inexperienced cop whose gun is stolen. The incident happens on a bus, and the culprit is a woman. The gun still has seven rounds left in it, and the luckless Murakami will miserably be keeping count as each bullet is used in a criminal act.
There follows a montage that even many admiring critics complain is too long, as Murakami walks the streets of Tokyo trying to make contacts. These were the actual slums of the city, and the filming of black marketeers and shady dealers had to be carried out discreetly. Images are superimposed onto one another as the camera passes from street to street. The music on the streets constantly changes to indicate the passing of time and change of location.
The camera shows us close-ups of Murakami's eyes as he watches the streets, or of his legs as he paces them. We see a lot of legs in this movie. Cameras are often placed close to the ground so that we see the sky or even the stars. Items pass in front of the screen, giving us a sense of the bustle of Tokyo at this time.
The more that Murakami learns about the killer, Yusa, the more he realises that he has much in common with the killer. Both men are of a similar age. Both wear white suits. When they finally meet, they are both lighting cigarettes in a moment of mirroring. In personality too, they are both highly-strung and sensitive.
In addition, they are both former soldiers, and they had a similar experience on returning to civilian life. The two men had a life-changing moment when their knapsack containing many of their possessions was stolen while on their way home from the war. Here the two men parted ways in their responses to their misfortune.
The incident that made Yusa a criminal served to make Murakami a police officer. Murakami describes his own anger after losing his knapsack, and how angry he was. However Murakami chose to stop his decline and became a cop instead. There are choices available in how we respond to disasters in our life.
Kurosawa is said to have enjoyed filming Stray Dog, but he disliked the final result, thinking that the movie was too technical, and had not a single idea in it. I would disagree. I have always had a soft spot for this early Kurosawa work. He would go on to make better films, but Stray Dog is moving and interesting, and yes, there are ideas in it.
I wrote a longer appreciation of Stray Dog on my blog page if you would like to read more: https://themoviescreenscene.wordpress.com/2019/07/28/stray-dog-1949/
Rated 5/5 Stars •
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
09/18/23
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Paulami A
A premise so solid and intense. We were mesmerised throughout.
Rated 5/5 Stars •
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
07/23/23
Full Review
W. W. W
boring ...............................
Rated 1/5 Stars •
Rated 1 out of 5 stars
06/22/23
Full Review
Tony S
Brooding and methodical noir in post-war Japan. The investigation itself might seem overly long and fairly inconsequential as far as the brilliant third act is concerned. But what it allows you to observe is Detective Murakami's flawed mentality of a 'stray dog'. A dog that can not see further than its tunnel vision allows it. Just like Murakami disregards any nuance of his job or the situation at hand, as long as he gets his stolen colt back. Many characters were quick to point out to him, especially Sato, that it's not his gun that shoots people; the 'mad dog' would've got another. However, for Murakami, it is all the same as he, at least in his mind, takes full responsibility for the shootings. Heat Wave provides a great background, sets the tone, and most importantly, plays directly into the events. The finale is also amazing as the juxtaposition of Murakami and Yusa comes from verbal to a visual as two dogs lie in the grass out of breath, not too different from one another in nature but evidently choosing different paths.
Rated 4/5 Stars •
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
05/07/22
Full Review
william d
The story follows a fairly predictable path and the first half drags a bit. The second half, however, is good enough for the film to garner a recommendation.
Rated 3.5/5 Stars •
Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars
03/31/23
Full Review
Audience Member
I did quite enjoy the story in Stray Dog. They made a lot of smart choices with the script. Building this plot around a rookie who takes personal responsibility when he makes a mistake is smart. If the roles had been reversed and the veteran detective messed up, his years of experience would have jaded him so that he cared less about what he did. Instead we are tense because Murakami is so distraught. It also doesn’t hurt that Toshirô Mifune plays Murakami, as he is a thoroughly engaging actor who we can easily admire. I also loved the casting of Takashi Shimura as his partner Sato. He does a brilliant job of showing a relaxed street-smart style, but then becoming more serious as the stakes of the case increase. I’ve always loved buddy cop films, particularly when you combine the seasoned veteran with the rookie who is wet behind the ears, so that aspect of this film was a big plus for me. What bothered me so much in Stray Dog is that it was taking its time a lot. There are scenes in this film where it seems nothing is happening, no one is talking, and we’re just staring at unimportant nonsense. I find film noir so engaging, yet it seemed each time the story paused for one of these silent staring contests with the screen, I lost all interest. It’s a shame, but they had to get me re-invested in the plot multiple times because I was so bored I was dozing off. There was one sequence in particular where we see Murakami spending time wandering the streets undercover, hoping to get someone to sell him a gun. During this sequence I came dangerously close to just riding the fast-forward button until it was done. That being said, if Kurosawa could have trimmed some of the fat from this film (and made it a little tighter so it stuck more to the main storyline,) then I’d probably love it. Stray Dog is a solid film with a good story, but it’s at least 30 minutes too long.
Rated 3/5 Stars •
Rated 3 out of 5 stars
11/13/20
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