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The Bad Sleep Well

7.7

2,654

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Original title

Warui yatsu hodo yoku nemuru (The Bad Sleep Well)

Year

1960

Running time

150 min.

Country

Japan

Director

Akira Kurosawa

Screenwriter

Akira Kurosawa, Ryuzo Kikushima, Hideo Oguni, Shinobu Hashimoto, Eijiro Hisaito

Cast

Music

Masaru Satô

Cinematography

Yuzuru Aizawa

Producer

Toho

Genre

Thriller. Film noir. Drama | Crime. Neo-noir. Psychological Drama. Revenge

Synopsis

A young executive hunts down his father’s killer in director Akira Kurosawa’s scathing The Bad Sleep Well. Continuing his legendary collaboration with actor Toshiro Mifune, Kurosawa combines elements of Hamlet and American film noir to chilling effect in exposing the corrupt boardrooms of postwar corporate Japan.

Rankings Position

#36 Best Film Noir Movies
#50 Best Japanese Movies of all time
#54 Best Thrillers in the history of film
#73 Best Crime Movies
#86 Best Movies of the '60s

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Awards: 1961: Berlin Film Festival: Official Selection

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Critics' reviews

“An aggressive and chilling drama (...) A powerful and interesting picture that Kurosawa has made—a bit tedious and mawkish in the last reels, but exciting enough along the way to satisfy audiences that know the subject.”

Bosley Crowther: The New York Times
"Kurosawa's mastery of the story is evident"

James Berardinelli: ReelViews
"A compelling portrait of righteous obsession foundering on unpredictable reality."

Village Voice
"A freestyle homage to Hamlet that does away with the costumed faithfulness of Kurosawa's other Shakespeare adaptations."

Nick Schager: Slant
"A well-done thriller with Kurosawa's usual social overtones."

Dave Kehr: Chicago Tribune

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Ranking Lists Position

96 My Favorite Japanese Movies (20)

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The Bad Sleep Well

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