t is almost an anti-thriller, but viewers who are willing to steep themselves in the intricacies of Japanese ceremonies and the banal details of evil will find the experience highly rewarding.
The Bad Sleep Well (1960)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted: 14
Fresh: 14
Rotten:0
Average Rating: 7.8/10
Runtime: 2 hrs 32 mins
Genre: Foreign Films
Synopsis: Something is rotten in Japan in this engaging drama by acclaimed director Akira Kurosawa. Toshirô Mifune stars as Koichi Nishi, the secretary to the president of a housing corporation, who seeks... Something is rotten in Japan in this engaging drama by acclaimed director Akira Kurosawa. Toshirô Mifune stars as Koichi Nishi, the secretary to the president of a housing corporation, who seeks revenge for his father's murder. At Koichi's marriage to Kieko (Kyôko Kagawa), the president's daughter, memories of the death are stirred, and soon corruption within the organization is exposed. Unknown to the officials, Koichi is the hidden force behind the mysterious happenings that begin to weigh on their consciences and ruin their lives. As the story moves toward its tragic conclusion, spectral figures lurk in the darkened streets while others plot and scheme within their shining corporate offices. Loosely based on Shakespeare's HAMLET, Kurosawa's film skillfully combines themes from the classic play with a stylish 1960s film noir mood. [More]
Starring: Toshirô Mifune, Takeshi Kato, Masayuki Mori
Starring: Toshirô Mifune, Takeshi Kato, Masayuki Mori
Director: Akira Kurosawa
Director: Akira Kurosawa
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Reviews for The Bad Sleep Well
Opening with a bravura wedding sequence and ending with a sycophantic bow to a replaced telephone receiver, the film has its longueurs, but Mifune's buttoned-down avenger is a compelling portrait of righteous obsession foundering on unpredictable reality.
There just seemed to be a missing ingredient to raise this intense psychological drama to the level of a Rashomon.
Despite having been made more than 45 years ago and in a postwar Japanese setting, in the age of Enron, it may be more relevant than ever.
Kurosawa rather loaded the film on the side of social significance, while neglecting to capitalise on the noir aspects that underlie it. Even so, his use of the 'scope screen is masterly.
A freestyle homage to Hamlet that does away with the costumed faithfulness of Kurosawa's other Shakespeare adaptations.
A startlingly relevant 'social problem film' (shakai-mono)--of its time and our own--and an existential melodrama by way of Hamlet.
This is a powerful and interesting picture that Kurosawa has made -- a bit tedious and mawkish in the last reels, but exciting enough along the way to satisfy audiences that know the subject.
It's still as visually striking as anything you will see by this director.
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