The Bad Sleep Well (Warui yatsu hodo yoku nemuru) (1960)
| Director: | Akira Kurosawa |
| Actors: | Toshiro Mifune, Takashi Shimura, Masayuki Mori, Kyôko Kagawa, Tatsuya Mihashi, Kô Nishimura, Kamatari Fujiwara, Takeshi Katô |
Often overlooked, Kurosawa's first independent co-production, The Bad Sleep Well, is a scathing indictment on the morality of Japan's post occupation economic miracle. Toshiro Mifune stars as Nishi, a salaryman who marries his boss lame daughter with the aim of exacting revenge on his father in law for his own father's death at the hands of the company. A suit and tie film noir, Kurosawa aims directly at the black heart of capitalism and the dark conformism of corporate Japan.
| Status: | Normal |
|---|---|
| Run time: | 130mins |
| Origin: | JAPAN |
| Aspect Ratio: | 16:9 |
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Member Reviews (5)
5 Member
Reviews
Rob B
says
Starts slowly. Exceptionally well done.
Jack K.
says
Kurosawa’s brilliant directorial style and cinematography influence can’t be missed in this bleak look at corporate corruption. The opening wedding sequence quickly injects elements of doubt and mystery that heighten as the plot unfolds. The star is Toshirô Mifune, playing Koichi Nishi, secretary to the president of a crooked housing corporation, who is bent on revenge, and ultimately consumed by it. His performance is outstanding, but I failed to identify with his vengeful righteousness or very much like his Nishi like Hamlet. Without revealing the expected violence, Kurosawa intensifies the suspenseful ending by using flashbacks and, in the final scene, a one sided conversation and a replaced telephone receiver is a damning indictment of a higher level status quo.
Sunet N.
says
Kurosawa always had the best ideas for plots, characters, scenes and dialogues. Even if the first part of this movie is quite slow, the second part reveals much more to end like no other director will think how ending his own movie. Kurosawa didn't care to kill his main character because he has always tried filming an exact picture of what life, reality is. Splendid!
the forty-first
says
Like other early Kurosawa features, this is set in the sleaze and chaos of postwar Tokyo. Be sure to see it, along with others like DRUNKEN ANGEL.
.Kurosawa's samurai epics are, of course, classic and essential, but don't overlook his fascinating "modern-day" features. They're not a all hard to watch...you'll soon be captivated.
It's great they're on DVD.
Nigel W.
says
An overly long and drawn out critique of corruption in the construction industry in Japan. The ending is bleak in that it suggests big business will win in the end.