Stray Dog and
The Hidden Fortress

For those familiar only with Akira Kurosawa's samurai epics, Stray Dog (1949) may come as something of a surprise. A noirish thriller set at the height of summer, Kurosawa's film follows one determined detective's pursuit of a killer. Toshiro Mifune plays Murakami, a cop whose stolen gun is used in a series of murders. Feeling responsible for the killings, he becomes hell bent on capturing the assailant. Too inexperienced to work on his own, he enlists the help of Chief Detective Sato (Takashi Shimura), whose skilful investigation soon finds the pair hot on the heels of the killer.

Stray Dog opens with an extreme close-up of a canine, irritated by the blistering heat. An unnerving shot, it sets the tone of the film, where the increase in temperature reflects the frustration of the detectives' investigation. Renowned for his use of rain, here Kurowsawa plays upon the claustrophobic effect of the extreme heat, to create an atmosphere of tension, only occasionally relieved by moments of subtle humour. When the trademark storm does arrive, like the climactic downpour in Seven Samurai (1954), it signals a turning point in the narrative; the detectives discover the identity and whereabouts of the killer. However, the storm also signals that there is a price to be paid, the result being Sato's falling foul of the killer and Murakami having to go after him alone.

Stray Dog was made before Kurosawa attracted international acclaim with Rashomon (1950). Although it lacks that film's narrative complexity, it excels in the way it experiments with the medium. The montage sequence, where Murakami takes to the streets to find the pickpocket, is remarkable for the neo-realist recording of life on the teeming city streets, whilst maintaining the pace of Murakami's desperate search. Similarly, the sequence at the baseball game is carried off with aplomb.

The film also works as an early variation on the inter-generational buddy movie. Shimura's more philosophical cop is the wise counterpart to Mifune's hot-headed rookie. Moreover, the film stresses the father/son link between the characters, with Murakami commenting that although he is unable to feel the same way as Sato at present, he is aware that one day he will. With this, Kurosawa makes reference to the differing attitudes to the Second World War, still fresh in the memory at the time the film was made. Whatever anger and resentment exists, Kurosawa believed it would dissipate with time, allowing people to re-build their lives.

A police procedural thriller par excellence, Stray Dog has the feel of a director overflowing with ideas (for the sheer energy in its depiction of street-level crime, the film is similar to Sam Fuller's Pick-up on South Street, 1953). Though overlong at times - the central section occasionally becomes repetitive, which Kurowsawa himself acknowledged - its inventiveness and the leads' charismatic performances make it one of Kurowsawa's best early works. The DVD features a brief biography of Kurosawa and the two leads, and a picture of the original poster.

The merits of The Hidden Fortress (1958) have been subsumed somewhat by another epic saga of warring tribes. George Lucas cites the film as a major influence when he was writing Star Wars (1977). However, Kurosawa's entertaining period adventure deserves more merit than a footnote in the history of a Hollywood blockbuster.

His only venture into Chambara, the more populist version of the Jidai-geki (which tackles history in order to draw modern, and moralistic, parallels), The Hidden Fortress is one of Kurosawa's most engrossing films. The story of a Princess who, with the help of her general and two farmers, attempts to escape the clutches of an invading army, it bears all the hallmarks of the Chambara genre. Where it differs is in Kurosawa's decision to tell the story from the point of view of the two peasants, the lowest caste characters in the tale (Lucas turned these two characters into robots C-3PO and R2D2 for his film). After escaping captivity, through a magnificently staged slave revolt, the duo join the general and his princess, unaware of their true identity, on the journey to an allied kingdom. Enticed by the promise of owning more gold than they can imagine, the farmers help the fleeing couple. Along the way, they waste no opportunity to make off with the gold, only to be foiled by the princess, who has taken the guise of a mute in order not to be recognised.

Wonderfully entertaining, The Hidden Fortress is also one of Kurosawa's most visually arresting films. His first film in Tohoscope, he uses every opportunity to shoot against the breathtaking Mount Fuji and other, more barren, landscapes. The slave revolt, in particular, not only highlights the director's skill at staging epic battles, but also his deft blending of action and comedy.

Though not in the same league as Seven Samurai, or as formally inventive as Throne of Blood (1957), The Hidden Fortress is Kurosawa at his most relaxed. His mastery of the genre ensures that the film rattles along at breakneck speed, aided yet again by a Mifune's commanding presence. The DVD contains brief biographical details, an image of the original film poster and an interview with George Lucas.

Reviewed by Ian Haydn Smith