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Stray Dog Reviews

1949

70
from 2347 members

Akira Kurosawa's "Stray Dog" is a masterful mix of film noir and police thriller set on the sweltering mean streets of Occupied Tokyo. When rookie detective Murakami (Toshiro Mifune) has his pistol stolen from his pocket while on a bus, his frantic attempts to track down the thief lead him to an illegal weapons market in the .. Read more

Starring	Toshiro Mifune, Takashi Shimura, Keiko Awaji, Isao Kimura
Director	Akira Kurosawa
Genres	Drama, World Cinema

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Critic's review of Stray Dog
View all (1)
- An early encounter between Kurosawa and two of his favourite actors, Mifune and Shimura, both playing detectives in... read more on Time Out
- 44759
- - Time Out
  - 04 Nov 2008 at 00:15
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Most helpful member's review of Stray Dog
View all members' reviews (15)
- - 12
  - 0
  Oddly compelling.
  
  Oddly compelling because the subject seems so contrived, but the Japanese are good at making contrived stories work. This has a less assured feel to it than the... read more »
  
  Report this review
- 57512
- [Highly rated reviewer]
  - Mark Wilson
  - Armagh
  - 05 Dec 2004 at 18:20
Most recent members' reviews of Stray Dog
View all members' reviews (15)
- - 0
  - 0
  two of a kind
  
  Classic Japanese hard boiled noir. Detective has his colt stolen on bus and ball gets rolling to almost philosophical ends. By the way, when I saw its cover on ... read more »
  
  Report this review
- 1111354
- - juradino
  - 701 reviews
  - London
  - 15 Apr 2012 at 17:55
- - 0
  - 0
  Classic Kurosawa
  
  Loved this film. Kurosawa makes great use of the weather to build up a claustrophobic, sticky, atmospheric story of a rookie detective's shame when his gun ... read more »
  
  Report this review
- 1096509
- - a customer
  - 25 Feb 2012 at 22:14
- - 0
  - 0
  Fascinating view of Japan right after the war
  
  What makes this film so fascinating is that Japan after the war is very western in so many ways, yet also oddly alien too. Great performances.
  
  Report this review
- 1095465
- - bobshaw5
  - 21 reviews
  - 22 Feb 2012 at 15:15
- - 0
  - 0
  Stray Dog
  
  Kurosawa provides his own version of a gritty film noir. His first collaboration with Mifune where the latter plays an inexperienced detective whose gun is ... read more »
  
  Report this review
- 848145
- - speedycritic
  - 17 reviews
  - Cardiff
  - 12 Jan 2010 at 01:24
- - 0
  - 2
  Just OK, now.
  
  Perhaps the fuss is about the departure of it then.
  
  Report this review
- 831295
- - Boatthink
  - 76 reviews
  - Burton
  - 15 Nov 2009 at 14:42
- - 3
  - 0
  Pistol Pickpocket packs punch
  
  Although Kurosawa had made several films before 'Stray Dog' this was the one that started to get a response from an International audience.
  
  ... read more »
  
  Report this review
- 527283
- [Highly rated reviewer]
  - Charles Brickley
  - Andover, Hampshir England
  - 16 Feb 2008 at 19:28
- - 0
  - 0
  An excellent tale
  
  Akira Kurosawa doesn't need an introduction. Many will know him from the legendary epics, the Samurai films but this film is set in contemporary (at the ... read more »
  
  Report this review
- 281182
- - King Babar
  - Celesteville
  - 31 Aug 2006 at 20:40
- - 0
  - 0
  Great 1940's film-noir
  
  Akira Kurosawa's classic film-noir of a young cop who lost his gun paired with an older policeman. Probably heavily influencial to later filmmakers but ... read more »
  
  Report this review
- 248851
- - NadeemF
  - 84 reviews
  - Saffron Walden
  - 26 May 2006 at 23:51
- - 4
  - 0
  Genius but a bit slow this time.
  
  Okay if you've never seen Kurosawa do so, anything he did before around 1960 is absolute gold. He IS the grandfather of all action film directing. That said... read more »
  
  Report this review
- 136937
- - a customer
  - Chestefield
  - 05 Aug 2005 at 19:32
- - 2
  - 0
  Spot the Dog
  
  This is the second Kurasawa film I have seen and contains most of what I loved about Seven Samurai. A great insight into post-war Japan this film takes a while ... read more »
  
  Report this review
- 128029
- - Sean Wallace
  - Molesey, Surrey
  - 27 Jul 2005 at 12:06
View all members' reviews (15)

- - 12
  - 0
  Oddly compelling.
  
  Oddly compelling because the subject seems so contrived, but the Japanese are good at making contrived stories work. This has a less assured feel to it than the... read more »
  
  Report this review
- 57512
- [Highly rated reviewer]
  - Mark Wilson
  - Armagh
  - 05 Dec 2004 at 18:20
- - 5
  - 2
  Excellent thriller
  
  Extremely well made with all the usual tensions of a thriller and the addition of Japanese culture for extra interest
  
  Report this review
- 5207
- - a customer
  - England
  - 29 Apr 2004 at 11:09
- - 4
  - 0
  Genius but a bit slow this time.
  
  Okay if you've never seen Kurosawa do so, anything he did before around 1960 is absolute gold. He IS the grandfather of all action film directing. That said... read more »
  
  Report this review
- 136937
- - a customer
  - Chestefield
  - 05 Aug 2005 at 19:32
- - 4
  - 0
  Unusual, neglected Kurosawa
  
  Set in post-war Japan, Kurosawa's first important film is a tight crime drama. Mifune plays a rookie homicide cop stricken by guilt after a gun he foolishly... read more »
  
  Report this review
- 302362
- - Grassmarket
  - Lothian
  - 07 Apr 2004 at 00:15
- - 3
  - 0
  Pistol Pickpocket packs punch
  
  Although Kurosawa had made several films before 'Stray Dog' this was the one that started to get a response from an International audience.
  
  ... read more »
  
  Report this review
- 527283
- [Highly rated reviewer]
  - Charles Brickley
  - Andover, Hampshir England
  - 16 Feb 2008 at 19:28
- - 2
  - 0
  This is a very well-...
  
  This is a very well-told story set in post-war Japan - no samurais anywhere. Kurosawa together with Mifune makes you feel the heat on the streets of Tokyo.
  
  Report this review
- 39913
- - Thomas#10
  - GLASGOW
  - 30 Jun 2004 at 23:37
- - 2
  - 0
  Spot the Dog
  
  This is the second Kurasawa film I have seen and contains most of what I loved about Seven Samurai. A great insight into post-war Japan this film takes a while ... read more »
  
  Report this review
- 128029
- - Sean Wallace
  - Molesey, Surrey
  - 27 Jul 2005 at 12:06
- - 2
  - 1
  Classic
  
  Great film by a great director, the young cop and the wise old detective formula has appeared in plenty of good films since. If you haven't seen this you ... read more »
  
  Report this review
- 320040
- - gready
  - Surrey
  - 23 Jan 2005 at 23:12
- - 0
  - 0
  Great 1940's film-noir
  
  Akira Kurosawa's classic film-noir of a young cop who lost his gun paired with an older policeman. Probably heavily influencial to later filmmakers but ... read more »
  
  Report this review
- 248851
- - NadeemF
  - 84 reviews
  - Saffron Walden
  - 26 May 2006 at 23:51
- - 0
  - 0
  An excellent tale
  
  Akira Kurosawa doesn't need an introduction. Many will know him from the legendary epics, the Samurai films but this film is set in contemporary (at the ... read more »
  
  Report this review
- 281182
- - King Babar
  - Celesteville
  - 31 Aug 2006 at 20:40

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Buy from Amazon.co.uk

- - Buy
- Stray Dog
  
  Akira Kurosawa's "Stray Dog" is a masterful mix of film noir and police thriller set on the sweltering mean streets of Occupied Tokyo. When rookie detective Murakami (Toshiro Mifune) has his pistol stolen from his pocket while on a bus, his frantic attempts to track down the thief lead him to an ...