Review of Drunken Angel (1948) by Harpreet S — 02 Dec 2011

"Red Beard" was the final collaboration of Toshiro Mifune and Akira Kurosawa. Yesterday, I viewed their first in "Drunken Angel." It felt like an eternity since I had seen one of their films. Made in 1948, it is clearly not one of Kurosawa's polished works. The opening sequence feels so abrupt. There should be a developmental period in the plot, from shot to shot, and it isn't there. There are other sequences with the same problem. I also thought the ending sequence was unnecessary. The film should have ended when the Mifune character dies. The fight scenes were not technically at par. To say the least, I enjoyed every scene involving Toshiro Mifune. I also admired Takashi Shimura, but again everything about the film is very raw. Maybe you can compare it with Martin Scorsese's "Mean Streets," although I think Scorsese's film is much better. To conclude matters, I just have to say that even with it not being a great film, it is a must watch for not only Kurosawa and Mifune fanatics, but also who are diehard lovers of cinema.

P.S. I love the film title: Drunken Angel!