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Drunken Angel
酔いどれ天使
1948 98 min Japan 16+
★7.8
Drama
Director: Akira Kurosawa
Trailers
Description
In postwar Tokyo, a blunt, alcohol-soaked doctor diagnoses a swaggering young yakuza with tuberculosis, forging an uneasy bond that’s tested when the gangster’s ruthless former boss returns and drags him back toward the swampy underworld he can’t escape.
US Gross:
$46,808
Starring
Takashi Shimura
Actor
Toshirô Mifune
Actor
Reizaburô Yamamoto
Actor
Awards
4 wins total
Key opinion
Drunken Angel serves as the pivotal first collaboration between Akira Kurosawa and Toshiro Mifune, grounding a post-war crime drama in the complex, symbiotic relationship between a weary physician and a dying gangster. While critics occasionally debate the weight of its moralizing tone, the film is widely celebrated for its naturalistic atmosphere and the transformative debut of Mifune's screen presence.
| Acting | Toshiro Mifune’s raw, unrestrained debut performance provides a daring, charismatic counterpoint to the established order. | |
| Production | The film functions as a masterful technical turning point, utilizing imagery like the stagnant pond to mirror the internal rot and decay of the characters. | |
| Acting | Takashi Shimura anchors the narrative with a deeply sympathetic portrayal of a flawed, exhausted doctor driven by humanitarian duty. | |
| Theme | The narrative's moralistic commentary on post-war society is seen by some as profound social critique, while others find it trivial or overly didactic. |