Toshiro Mifune and Takashi Shimura reunite (after working together in Kurosawa’s ‘Drunken Angel’) in this crime noir thriller as homicide detectives investigating multiple murders with a stolen police pistol. Detective Murakami (Mifune) fears his career may have reached a premature conclusion when his gun is stolen by a pickpocket. His boss Nakajima tasks him with finding the pistol, putting him in touch with forensic firearms officer Ichikawa. When the gun is used in a murder, Murakami is partnered with veteran detective Sato (Shimura) and the two attempt to recover the weapon before more harm is done. Murakami and Sato pound the summer streets of Tokyo in a desperate bid to find the stolen pistol and the killer.
“Stray Dog” again features the fantastic on-screen chemistry of Mifune and Shimura in this dark police procedural. Mifune is captivating as the fresh detective battling his sense of regret and responsibility at losing the gun used in the murders. The film builds tension asMurakami and Sato chase down leads and interrogate suspects through the murky Tokyo underworld. Director Kurosawa, who co-wrote the script with Ryuzo Kikushima, creates an oppressive noir atmosphere through characters struggling with the sweltering summer heat. An early sequence in which we see Murakami trailing through the udnerworld of Tokyo as he tries to find his pistol brings home to us the difficulty of his position as he finds closed mouths and suspects unwilling to talk. In this and a later baseball scene the film may have benefitted from tighter editing, but it draws us in to the detectives’ world of antagagonistic witnesses and suspicion, ramping up a sense of desperation as they are unable to move forward with the investigation. The two track eventually track down a chorusgirl, Harumi Namiki (Keiko Awaji), whose relationship with the gunman Yusa (Isao Kimura) creates further problems for the detectives. She is unwilling at first to give up information on her lover. The film builds sees the two chasing the killer through a thunderstorm and the pouring rain further heightens the dread atmosphere. Soundtrack by Fumiko Hayakawa.
Stray dog features incredible performances by the main cast and a thrilling police drama as we see the footwork and effort that goes in to cracking a case. In this post-war Japan, danger still lurks at every street corner and the fears and suspicions that run through the society create an atmosphere as oppressive as the Tokyo heat. Well worth a watch for fans of crime films with a solid case and the perfect partnership of Mifune and Shimura to follow it through.
