“Kurosawa’s strenuous location shooting transforms the city into a sensuous collage of fluttering fans and delicate, sweating limbs. A fine blend of US thriller material with Japanese conventions, it’s a small classic.”
During a heatwave in post-war Tokyo, Rookie homicide detective Murakami (Toshiro Mifune) has his Colt pistol stolen. Filled with shame, he goes undercover and descends into the depths of Tokyo's underworld, which gradually reveals Dostoievskian parallels between himself and his quarry.
It’s a film Kurosawa looked back on fondly in his autobiography: “No shooting ever went as smoothly" and "the excellent pace of the shooting and the good feeling of the crew can be sensed in the finished film."
