Stray Dog (1949)

 Akira Kurosawa's "Stray Dog"

What struck me most when watching Akira Kurosawa's 1949 noir film "Stray Dog" was how much Kurosawa elevated his visual storytelling. There is still something to chew on in regards to the story, particularly the philosophy of the film's protagonist. However, what "Stray Dog" does best is engage the viewer visually. 

The story centers on a green homicide detective, Murakami, whose had his gun stolen. In searching for the lost gun, he is assigned to team up with veteran investigator, Sato. Together, they form an unlikely bond while both sharing different generational perspectives. Sato believes that to be a cop, you must see the people you are chasing as 'bad' people while Murakami believes that they're just like you or me, only with their backs against the wall. After Murakami's stolen gun was used to rob and murder a woman, the two detectives work their way to tracking him down.

Although the film is described as a 'noir' film, this tag mostly fits with the visual style presented by Kurosawa. In regards to the plot, the biggest 'noir' element comes from Murakami dealing with the tragic consequences of his own original mistake. Murakami's gun was stolen right off of him in order to sell to the criminal underworld. From then on, Murakami must continuously confront his mistake until the bitter end and deal with the tragic consequences his mistake brought on. 

On top of this, the deal examines the philosophy of the changing times. As Sato notes, Murakami has post-war perspectives. Murakami sees the savagery at the heart of every person, including himself. Murakami views the people they are chasing down, not as evil bad guys, but as people just like him caught on the other side of circumstance. This point gets satisfied when Murakami faces off against the man who stole his gun at the end of the film. It becomes clear when the man is holding a gun to Murakami that he is full of shame and regret. Murakami's point is proven to himself. In this post-war Japan, there is no good and evil - only people in different circumstances. The horrors of war brought a society to its moral knees. What remains is the recognition that it is not the people that are savage, but the societal and economic means that determine us to behave in a savage way. This is another way in which the film could be considered a 'noir' - through the examination of what external factors are driving our society to dark places. 

What keeps the viewer engaged with the plot and these thematic dynamics are Kurosawa's incredible visual stylings. Kurosawa is always doing something interesting in the frame. Whether its using blocking to include all the characters and their expressions and behaviors in a single frame, displaying movement and expression through various degreed angles, or texturing the film with light and shadow to convey its noir visual storytelling, Kurosawa tells the story through the perspective of his visual insight. As a viewer, I was thoroughly engaged through this visual interest and perspective. This was all Kurosawa thought of the film, however - as a purely technical feat. He notioned that the film was merely a technical practice and contained "not one real thought in it." 

With films like "Drunken Angel" and "Stray Dog," Kurosawa took the noir elements from American films and re-interpreted them through the lens of post-war Japanese culture. In doing so, he was able to practice his visual form. When the 1950s came along, he was ready to move from being an amateur to a master filmmaker.