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Drunken Angel

7.4

2,744

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Original title

Yoidore tenshiaka

AKA

Drunken Angel

Year

1948

Running time

102 min.

Country

Japan

Director

Akira Kurosawa

Screenwriter

Akira Kurosawa, Keinosuke Uegusa

Cast

Music

Fumio Hayasaka

Cinematography

Takeo Ito (B&W)

Producer

Toho

Genre

Drama. Film noir | Crime. Yakuza & Triad. Disease/illness. Friendship

Synopsis

A drunken doctor with a hot temper works in a village whose most prominent geographical feature is a disease-ridden sump. Businesses and social life are infected by the yakuza, or mob. The leading gangster in the village comes to the doctor one night with a bullet lodged in his hand. It's clear this violence-prone young man also has tuberculosis. The doctor and gangster form a quicksilver bond that partly involves the older medical man keeping the young tough alive and well; but it is also marked by shouting, shoving, throwing punches and throwing nearby objects at each other. Meanwhile, the old gang boss is back out of prison. He's eager to have his old turf back and eager to reestablish ties with his wife, whom he infected with venereal disease and who now works as an assistant to the doctor.

Rankings Position

#73 Best Film Noir Movies
#98 Best Japanese Movies of all time
#120 Best Crime Movies

Critics' reviews

"An odd blend of American film noir and Italian neorealism."

Dave Kehr: Chicago Tribune
"'Drunken Angel' has been cited by Kurosawa as the film in which the immature director finally 'discovered' himself. We can all be grateful for that self-discovery."

Marjorie Baumgarten: Austin Chronicle
"It's effective in its own right and a fascinating preview of films to come."

Keith Phipps: AV Club

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Ranking Lists Position

93 My Favorite Japanese Movies (21)

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User history

Drunken Angel

1948

Akira Kurosawa

7.4

(2,744)