← Back to Cinema Atlas
Discover great cinema and the connections that made it possible.
Stray Dog
JAPAN · 1949

Stray Dog

Akira Kurosawa
crime and punishment police investigation moral ambiguity social desperation redemption
Watch on MUBI → Stream on Criterion → ▶ Trailer

Synopsis

A bad day gets worse for young detective Murakami when a pickpocket steals his gun on a hot, crowded bus. Desperate to right the wrong, he goes undercover, scavenging Tokyo’s sweltering streets for the stray dog whose desperation has led him to a life of crime. With each step, cop and criminal’s lives become more intertwined and the investigation becomes an examination of Murakami’s own dark side.

More from Akira Kurosawa

Japan · Japanese Golden Age
Seven Samurai
1954 • Japan
View →
Rashomon
1950 • Japan
View →
High and Low
1963 • Japan
View →