Bad Sleep Well

Year: 1960

Grade: B

Country: Japan

Director: Kurosawa

Review

not my favorite kurosawa film, but certainly a fine film. it’s part hamlet and part kurosawa. someone should (and probably has) written an essay about the use of guns in kurosawa films. they play important roles in seven samurai, stray dog, and yojimbo. seeing mifune at work is a treat.

it’s remarkable how, in his contemporary films, kurosawa was able to tell an interesting story while weaving in social critique. here we see a corrupt post-war japan, somewhat similar to that of ikiru or high & low. good, not amazing.