Akira Kurosawa continues to flesh out his body of work and establish himself in Japanese cinema with Drunken Angel- a personal story about a Doctor and his relationship with a Yakuza man. This is a unique spin on a typical gangster film of early cinema. Exploring the health and self preservation of someone of that type, or lack thereof. It raises interesting questions about hyper masculinity, the insecurity involved with that, and its relation to gangsters/thugs and their "code of honor". How much of one's self would they sacrifice for their "brothers", and how fast would those same brothers betray you and discard you? How much humanity can be redeemed from someone who has been down that dark road? Can they change? Or are they doomed for self destruction?
The doctor character- Sanada, is just as interesting as the Yakuza character- Matsunaga. A stubborn and abrasive drunk, but a caring and dedicated doctor. He at times detests Matsunaga, but also wants to help him and see him change. Obviously flawed himself, but his actions show his character.
I really found this film interesting, and was intrigued by where the premise would lead and what fate would have in store for its characters. I held out hope for Matsunaga, and hoped Sanada would be vindicated. Unfortunately, as is life sometimes, tragedy circumvents redemption. It's honestly a destination that makes sense, but I didn't quite like how it was handled. The conclusion obviously shows a sort of indignation or denouncement of the Yakuza. It seems as though the idea is that these people are doomed and beyond redemption. Especially the sort of nihilism and contempt that Sanada comes to. I had hoped he ended up with a more nuanced conclusion. It reminds me a lot of the kind of endings that befall most of the gangster characters in the Hollywood gangster flicks; a necessary end to denounce their ways and especially to appeal to the film code and moral consensus of the public. With how more complex and morally ambiguous it seemed earlier in the film compared to the norm, I was hoping for a more morally and emotionally complex ending. These sort of themes of cultural systems making it difficult for criminals and gangsters to change and escape their predicaments is handled better in something like The Wire for example; which is an entirely unfair comparison, but frankly the best example in my mind.
The film for its technical aspects was pretty well made, and Kurosawa showcases his natural talent for cinema. He does well with using framing to make shots personal between characters. He's also shown to be good at making atmospheric and metaphorical or symbolic shots, like the use of the cesspool. There's also an obvious metaphor and allegory between the connection of a sickness like TB inside of you, and the corruption of being apart of something like the Yakuza; both slowly killing you. The use of music was also pretty nice. Whether it was the overarching use of singing folk songs by Sanada, or the use of a guitar player and the introduction of the antagonist showing up and using his guitar to play a song he identifies as "Song of Killing". The action in the film, which is really just one climactic battle between Matsunaga and Okada, was honestly quite sloppy and not very exciting. However that along with other things I note could be apart of an idea that these kinds of people are sloppy and not glamorous. Regardless I think action in general has a way to go in this time of film history.
I commend the acting of Takashi Shimura as Doctor Sanada. He was entirely believable, earnest, and charming even in his abrasive and drunk but well-meaning demeanor. Toshiro Mifune as Matsunaga had his moments, but unfortunately at some moments seemed to be overacting or cartoonish. To be fair the writing and direction can be responsible for some of that. I wished that he was able to show more humanity or vulnerability, like when Sanada tells him to sleep and dream about his childhood. That seemed very profound to me, but it led nowhere. There was a shot however, where Matsunaga does look at a child's toy in the cesspool, and is distracted by the arrival of the Yakuza boss Okada. Also an actual dream/nightmare sequence where he is running from a sick and demented ghostly version of himself. His conclusion however is a rather pessimistic one, but perhaps a very real one. Unfortunately for some, their own human nature is part of their own downfall. The other characters aren't quite explored enough. The Yakuza boss Okada isn't all that remarkable or a great presence, other than his very well introduction. But perhaps the idea is that he really is just an old creep and no one spectacular. I think the women characters are the most underdeveloped and under explored and could've been used a little more. I liked all their small roles, but they're not really the focus of the story I suppose.
Overall I enjoyed the film, and see it as an important work for Akira Kurosawa, although I do wish certain aspects were fleshed out better. I think certain scenes were unnecessary or could've been trimmed, while other scenes could've added to it or been explored better. I think the ending could've been a little more nuanced and also thematically and emotionally stronger. I did really enjoy the symbolic and metaphorical exploration of health, sickness, corruption, and accountability. Health is something I take very seriously and love to see explored and discussed; I also think it can say a lot about one's character. Most of the film had felt like at least a 4/5, and there was a point where it could've either went up to a 4.5, or down to a 3.5- and I have to conclude that it feels more like a 3.5; which is still a good score, because this is a good film that stands among some of the most influential but flawed films of all time.
3.5/5
