- directed by Akira Kurosawa
(Synopsis excerpted from IMDB.com)
An executive mortgages all he owns to stage a coup and gain control of the National Shoe Company, with the intent of keeping the company out of the hands of incompetent and greedy executives. He needs the same money, though, to pay the ransom that will possibly save a child's life. His resolution of that dilemma -- the certain loss of the company vs. the probable loss of the child -- makes for one distinct drama, and an ensuing elaborate police procedure makes for a second. (This synopsis written by levin)
Gee... I'm such a fan of the majority of Kurosawa's films, which makes this review such a tough one. :P Okay, I'll just go out there and say it... I didn't really like it. In fact, maybe I didn't like it at all. Given that it's touted as such a great piece of Film Noir, I was somewhat disappointed by the story... and certainly by the lack of stylization. But even judged outside the context of a proper Noir... the story just wasn't all that interesting. It wasn't anywhere near as gripping, intense or compelling as I would figure given the pitch. Though, I feel that maybe this is one of those classic films that might've had more of an impact back in its day. For instance, the police procedural portion of the film seemed horribly out of date and uninteresting. You find yourself more than a few steps ahead of the story at all times. It makes for a very bland experience. And the film's climax is nothing to write home about... in fact, it inches out of the zone of the disappointing and into the infuriating and frustrating.
4.5/10 I wouldn't even say this is worth the time to watch, unless you're a die-hard Kurosawa fan... and even then, be prepared for disappointment. :(
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