Stray Dog (1949)

Akira Kurosawa’s film Nora Inu also known as Stray Dog begins with the image of a panting dog. The first sound that is heard is that of the panting dog, until some dramatic music interrupts it. The film has an aspect ratio of 1.33:1, came out in 1949, and is set in postwar Japan. The first thing the audience learns is that a pistol has been pick-pocketed from a young detective, and that there are seven bullets in it. At this point there is a flash back of everything that happened to that young officer, to the point when he has realized that his gun was taken. Interestingly, this flashback is narrated by an unknown voice, which describes the occurrences of events in a detailed fashion, as though he is a detective himself. However very soon after this the audience is taken straight back to the present, where Murakami is apologizing for losing his pistol and beginning his search for the person who pick-pocketed it from him.

At first glance Stray Dog appears to be a crime movie about a young detective, Murakami, who has lost his pistol and will do whatever necessary to get it back. He partners up with a seasoned detective, Sato, and they set out to find the man who has committed several crimes with Murakami’s pistol. However there are many other features to Stray Dog. Murakami feels incredibly guilty about losing his gun, which is expected to an extent, but is still a bit surprising to so of the other detectives. As the film progresses and more crimes are committed with Murakami’s pistol, he begins to feel more and more guilt, and even attempts to resign. At one point another detective tells Murakami that his pistol getting stolen was just bad luck, and that “bad luck either makes a man or destroys him”. This idea is a major theme throughout Stray Dog.

Throughout the film, the audience hears about the poorer living conditions during postwar Japan, from the rations, to the crime. One can also see the western influence in Japan throughout the film. When Murakami ID’s the woman who pickpocket-ed him, the audience is shown a picture of a woman in a kimono, and is told that she is known for wearing kimono’s.

 However Murakami declares, correctly, that Odin was wearing a dress, and the other detective comments that the times have really changed. Odin also says “bye-bye” as a stylish goodbye. This film even has a long baseball scene in it, and the team’s name is the Giants, a very western name, for a western sport. Although the western influence is not a main theme in Stray Dog it is depicted throughout the film, and emphasizes the feeling of postwar Japan, and the feeling of the times changing, or in other words the separation between generations.

Throughout the movie, it is also clear that the heat in Japan is sweltering, and that everyone is a bit on edge because of it. Heat plays a big role in the film. It is possible this was not completely intentional since the film came out during a time without much air conditioning. However, there are images of fans, both electronic and handheld, cloths to wipe off sweat, hats, sweat stains that depict just how hot it is. The sweltering heat is important to Stray Dog because it is an aspect of nature that cannot be controlled, yet effects how people act. This idea goes along with the major theme of the movie, which is that people are placed into situations, and they do not always have control over the way their life turns out. The war is another aspect in this film, although only the aftermath of the war can be seen, that depicts how people are thrown into situations that change their nature. In the scene after Murakami has followed Odin around all day, and Odin ends up going to get a drink, the shop owner tells her that a young man is waiting outside to talk to her, and when Odin asks why the owner why Murakami does not come in he says that Murakami said he is not drinking so he would stay outside. The shop owner comments that it is rare for a young man these days to not come in for a drink. This is one of the many depictions of the after effects of the war on the soldiers.

There is a long scene where Murakami goes undercover, thanks to Odin’s advice, and the audience is given a tour of the ramen shops, night bars, and other parts of life in Japan. This scene includes many fades, and depicts a slow and somewhat painful way of life. Odin told Murakami, that if he wanted to find his gun he had to look like he was desperate for a gun, and that is exactly what this scene shows. It illustrates not only Murakami’s growing frustrations, and desperation for his own gun, but it also shows how those who are desperate live. In other words, it illustrates how stray dogs live, if fact that man who approaches Murakami at the fountain about giving him a gun treats him as a stray dog. He throws rocks, in order to splash water on Murakami, and aggravate him. He then kicks him and proceeds to offer him a gun, when Murakami gets up quickly he backs off quickly, but then tells Murakami to drop the cool act and proceeds to throw a stone at him as he leaves.

This scene emphasizes that anyone can become a stray dog at anytime. The audience has seen Murakami as a well-dressed detective, who has turned into a desperate and dirty man. Of course, Murakami goes back to being a well-dressed detective again, but others notice that he has thinned out from “pounding the pavement”.

As the film develops, the idea of a stray dog is revealed more and more as are Murakami’s inner thoughts. A new character named Yusa is introduced. He is a criminal, who has used Murakami’s pistol to commit a robbery. Murakami and Sato go to investigate, and ask Yusa's older sister some questions. This leads to the detectives learning that Yusa was a soldier who’s knapsack was stolen from him when he was returning home, which as his sister says “turned him very bitter”. It is also learned that he has become friends with the yakuza, which is believed to be a bad influence. She also tells them that the last time she saw him, he was crying with his head in his face, and that it kind of scared her. The detectives find a note that further illustrates that Yusa is not completely right in the head.

                                               (The it referred to in the note is a stray cat.)

 

Finally, the sister also shows the detectives where Yusa sleeps, and Sato comments that it is not fit for human habitation. After a hard day of work, Sato brings Murakami to his home for a rationed bear, and they have an incredibly important conversation. 

Murakami is a young man, who had fought in the war, and felt as though he could have also easily became a criminal. This point becomes incredibly clear during the above conversation that Murakami and Sato have. After having some beer and eating, Murakami mentions the idea that there are no bad people in the world, only people in bad situations. However, Sato tells him that he cannot think like that if he wants to be a cop. Instead, Sato believes that the bad guys are bad people, simple as that. Murakami and Sato soon go into a conversation about the difference between their generations. Murakami then reveals how similar his and Yusa's backgrounds are. Both of them served as soldiers in the war, and both of them had their knapsacks stolen from them on their way back from the war. Muramaki admits that in that moment he was so angry that he could have robbed someone. However he also realized that he was at a dangerous crossroads, and he made the conscious decision to become a cop, rather than to sink into his rage.

Soon after this scene, it is learned that Yusa has now committed a robbery that ended in a woman’s death. At this point Sato tells Murakami that Yusa is no longer just a stray dog, but a mad dog who can only see straight. Which means they know exactly what Yusa is going to do next, but also means that he is more dangerous than ever.

Interestingly at the end of this scene, the audience sees the train tracks, which are going in a straight direction. Train tracks cannot be swayed, it is as if Kurosawa is depicting that Sato and Murakami are also on a path that they cannot step off of.

After this conversation, Murakami and Sato split up. Sato finds Yusa, and is shot by him and left in the hospital. Murakami goes after Yusa without Sato, and there is one final chase scene. Murakami chases Yusa into the woods, where there is one house with a woman playing piano inside, and Yusa, like a scared dog, shoots Murakami in the arm, he then continues to miss the rest of his shots until he’s out of bullets. The entire time Yusa is shooting, his hands are shaking and his face looks incredibly scared. Murakami does not stand down, and once the bullets are gone he attacks Yusa and the chase continues for a bit. As they are tackling one another, it seems similar to seeing two dogs fight. At the end of the chase Yusa collapses, and Murakami cuffs him before collapsing himself, however he makes sure he has his pistol before he relaxes. The two men begin to pant, similarily to the dog in the opening credits, and the audience sees two men with similar pasts, who chose to react differently to their bad luck.

The film ends in the hospital with Sato congratulating Muramaki on his first citation. He also tells Murakami that soon he will forget about Yasu, as it is only natural. Yasu will become one of the many bad guys that Murakami takes care of, however one wonders if Sato is right. Although Sato and Murakami get along quite well, and they are both good cops, they have varying opinions. Sato believes that one must see people as bad or good, whereas Murakami believes that those people who are considered bad are to be pitied in some cases. Mostly due to the fact that many bad people become bad due to a situation out of their control. In the end, the question is how does one become a stray dog and what happens to a stray dog? Does it become bad due to it’s situation, or does it become stronger due to it’s bad luck? Stray Dog explores how criminals are created, and how easy it it for someone to fall into the wrong path, if they do not make the conscious decision to not become a stray dog.