Film Review: Drunken Angel (1948)
Akira Kurosawaโs 1948 Noir/Yakuza drama, Drunken Angel, is remembered by many as the directorโs first collaboration with actor Toshiro Mifune (they would make 16 films together), but it was already the 5th for Kurosawa and his other go-to actor, Takashi Shimura. The pair would work together on 21 out of Kurosawaโs 30 films. The collaborations between these three men would go on to produce some of the most highly regarded films of all time. But, it was here in 1948 that they all came together for the first time.
Considered the film in which Kurosawa really came into his own, Drunken Angel, is a beautifully shot and strategically paced treasure of cinema. On its surface, itโs easy to simply check the film noir box, but thereโs also a heavy dose of Italian Neo-Realism. Symbolism abounds, so youโll need to pay attention, but don’t let that frighten you. Itโs a parable with a deceptively complex plot and depth of story. Itโs a moral tale of appearances, motives, survival, and redemption. Thereโs quite a bit happening in this little movie.
Sanada (Shimura) is a down on his luck doctor with a drinking problem in the slums of post-war Japan. Just outside his window sits a stinking mud pit full of mosquitoes and disease. He loudly admonishes others for their health habits while doing his best to find alcohol in ration-heavy neighborhoods. One night, a young Yakuza named Matsunaga (Mifune) shows up at his practice with a bullet in his hand. The doctor removes the bulletโwith a bedside manner that could use some workโand proceeds to summarily judge the young man for his chosen line of work. To top it off, the doc suspects the gangster is in the early stages of tuberculosis.
The doctor, sure that there is some good left in this career criminal, repeatedly attempts to save his life. The relationship between the two takes on a father/son element, with the younger refusing to heed the elderโs warnings. Not content with sitting back while a patient dies, Sanada repeatedly confronts Matsunaga, usually ending in some sort of shoving match, with plenty of things being thrown about. To complicate things further, former boss, Okada (Reisaburo Yamamoto), returns from a stint in jail, looking to regain his territory. In the end, this provides Matsunaga the opportunity for the redemption he may not have been aware he was after all along. In a wonderfully crafted scene, Matsunaga and Okada have it out, after which, life goes on for the doctor and the rest of the slum.
If youโre not paying attention, Drunken Angel is a straight-forward, simple film. The subtext and symbolism, however, run deep. Nearly, at times, Avant-Garde deep. As the film progresses, and Matsunaga becomes sicker, his appearance becomes more pronounced. In fact, in the climactic battle mentioned above, I got the distinct sense that Okada thought he was battling a ghost. I wonโt give all the cool little symbolic moments away, but Iโm asking you to consider their meaning. The bog, the white paint, the dream, the music, et ectaraโwhat does it all mean to you?
Drunken Angel was a turning point for Kurosawa. The performances he got from his two leads are nothing short of astounding. No joke, Mifune and Shimura are among the best to have ever practiced the craft. Stylistically, Kurosawa wore his American, and other international influences on his sleeve for the first time, while still making a very Japanese film. It critiques Japanese attitudes towards crime, American post-war occupation (without showing a single G.I.), honor, duty, and justice. These would become staples of Kurosawaโs later, more well-known works, but Iโll be damned if he didnโt nail them here too.
Japan โข 1948 โข 98 minutes โข Black & White โข 1.33:1 โข Japanese โขย Spine #413
Criterion Special Features Include
- New, restored high-definition digital transfer
- Audio commentary featuring Japanese-film scholar Donald Richie
- A 30-minute documentary on the making ofย Drunken Angel, created as part of theย Toho Masterworksย seriesย Akira Kurosawa: It Is Wonderful to Create
- Kurosawa and the Censors, a new, 25-minute video piece that looks at the challenges Kurosawa faced in makingย Drunken Angel
- New and improved English subtitle translation
- PLUS: An essay by cultural historian Ian Buruma and excerpts from Kurosawaโsย Something Like an Autobiography
