I Live in Fear

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laurent b Kurosawa doesn't depicts here the fear of nuclear, or the danger of nuclear (which he doesn't deny of course), but precisely that the main danger is elsewhere... And it is so amazing to see that more than fifty years before now, he already understood that people could try to preserve their material comfort rather than their own lives, and they could go as far as put people in jail or asylum rather than renounce their life standards. So "I live in Fear" has to be discover now more than ever... Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Audience Member This could very well be Toshiro Mifune's best performance of his career. Despite only being 35 years old at the time of the movie, Mifune was incredibly convincing as a 70 year old man. While I didn't grow up in an era that was bogged down by the fear of nuclear annihilation, it was very easy to empathize with Mifune's character as we see him overwhelmed by the fear of the h-bomb. This movie reminded me very much of 12 Angry Men, as the story is told through the eyes of a principled man tasked with deliberating the legal issues at the center of this movie's plot. A special shout-out to Takashi Shimura's performance in this movie is warranted. Respect. Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/27/23 Full Review Audience Member Toshiro Mifune was only 35 but here he portrays a man in his seventies. He gives a legendary performance and even looks emaciated, but I don't know how much weight he lost. This is a Depressing Kurosawa film in which a wealthy family patriarch develops a morbid fear of war, especially the hydrogen bomb. He attempts to relocate his entire family to Brazil where he thinks everyone will be safe. But because of financial and cultural reasons his family fights him tooth and nail, which leads to all hell breaking loose. It may be slow going for some viewers but its aftermath leaves a devastating impression. This was a big failure at the box office, but today it is prescient because of the Lunatic in North Korea, whose wet dream it is to acquire the Hydrogen bomb someday and then use it on Japan. Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/14/23 Full Review Audience Member Pretty good, but not Kurosawa's best. Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/05/23 Full Review Audience Member I Live In Fear is very direct and even melodramatic, but its piercing commentary and fiery performances, as well as Kurosawa's well trained eye, make for a ballsy exploration into the anxious mind. Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/18/23 Full Review Audience Member Very unsubtle, and the ending gets a bit ridiculous, but it's compelling and interesting, and there are some really good scenes, even if it doesn't come together as a whole. Actually thinking about it now, I can't really figure out if it's arguing for or against nuclear paranoia (personally, I was on the side of the kids), but it also kinda works as a parable against the dangers of all forms of paranoia (germophobia for example), even if the film itself views its protagonist as a modern Cassandra. Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 01/30/23 Full Review Read all reviews

I Live in Fear

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