Ein streunender Hund

One of Akira Kurosawa's early genre films, in which all the typical characteristics of his work were already evident. Clever camera shots capturing detail and half-shots, careful selection of actors and exteriors, and capturing of the atmosphere. It is a very good depiction of a post-war Japanese metropolis full of poverty, social tension, and frustration from a lost war. However, there is one aspect I do not like, and that is that it's too long. If the film had 95 minutes, it would be completely adequate considering the content of the film. Every camera shot is too long, and it should have had bolder editing. But this flaw is characteristic of Kurosawa's entire body of work. As a detective story, Stray Dog is only an average affair, as the story is too simple and unfolds linearly. Additionally, the film material is not of high quality. The film is lifted above the average by the aforementioned clever shots - for example, Kurosawa knows how to capture the midday heat so that the viewer actually feels the mugginess. Through the details of a face or movement, Kurosawa is capable of communicating more about his protagonist than other directors in a several-minute-long talking scene. Overall impression: 65%. (17.01.2008)