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The set-up is told quickly in the opening sequences, during a sweltering day on a crowded bus, rookie homicide detective Murakami’s pistol is stolen right out of his pocket. He chases the suspected thief through the crowded streets to no avail, the crook gets away. To his shame and embarrassment, Murakami is forced to report the theft at his own precinct and open the investigation. What follows are sequences of following the paths of inconsistent leads, dead-end questioning and pursuits. The investigation grows urgent when it is discovered that Murakami’s gun is being used in an ever-increasing amount of violent crimes, from armed robbery to murder. After traditional by-the-book methods fail to produce answers, Murakami is forced to scavenge the streets of urban Tokyo, discovering a sprawling crime subculture.

As the movie progresses we realize one of the film’s main themes in the rookie cop’s character, it’s about the effects of realizing how close one was to carrying out a mal-adjusted lifestyle, especially if it’s a lifestyle the person thought all along they were above. Now with the help of veteran detective Sato, Murakami discovers that both he and the killer were veterans of the war. As their case continues, the young investigator realizes how much he has in common with what he considered to be a low life, a bottom feeder, a stray dog. There’s a long, drawn out sequence of Murakami exploring the streets, fielding the prepositions of prostitutes and looking for weapons dealers. The scene isn’t for entertainment, it eventually turns out to be very boring, but Kurosawa has greater intentions, he is immersing us into the life of an undercover police officer, or another version of the titular stray dog. It should be appreciated that “Stray Dog” is a film without the false glamour of undercover police work found in so many contemporary crime films.

“Stray Dog” succeeds in another area where most crime films usually fail, its effective use of a convincing atmosphere. Murakami’s gun is stolen on an unbearably hot day and we are constantly reminded of the heat wave. Throughout the movie the characters repeatedly dab their foreheads and wipe their faces with towels or their shirts. There’s something about heat that increases the tension of a stressful situation, and the main character’s urgency is almost made primitive during these conditions. Eventually the rain comes all too late, Murakami is beyond any code of conduct, he will do anything to get his gun back and stop the murders.

“Stray Dog” is a moody, brooding atmospheric film, an intriguing examination of a cultural underworld and the criminal mind. It measures up to some of the best of Kurosawa’s films and with its recent Criterion DVD release, should no longer be overlooked.

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originally posted: 07/13/04 09:53:17
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