Rating: 4/5
A drunk doctor treats TB patients in post-war Japan, and his most recent patient is a yakuza member who must give up his lifestyle to receive treatment. The two become close, but tensions rise when another yakuza is released from prison and drags the patient back into the life
Sentimental, surreptitiously critical of US occupation, and two standout performances from Takeshi Shimura and Toshirō Mifune, this being the latter’s first of sixteen films made with Kurosawa
There’s a dream sequence of breaking open a coffin on the beach and seeing himself chased by himself — pretty surreal for an otherwise grounded film
I want to watch more of Kurosawa’s gangster stuff — I’ll probably check out Stray Dog soon