The Bad Sleep Well (Subtitled) (DVD)

...suffer. And as he is the private secretary of the man he holds most responsible, Vice President Iwabuchi, and has just married Iwabuchi's daughter, it would seem that he is not far off achieving his goals. Nishi manages to blackmail some of his colleagues into helping him and it seems that the big bosses are finally about to get their comeuppance, when there is a rather major fly in the ointment - Nishi realises that he has fallen in love with his ...
...any case, can he beat the corrupt Japanese elite that run the company he works for?

The Bad Sleep Well is directed by Akira Kurosawa, also responsible for The Seven Samurai, who is a legendary Japanese director. He sadly died in 1998 at the age of 88, but his influence lives on. You may never have heard of him, but his films have influenced a number of well-known western films, such as A Fist Full of Dollars and The Magnificent Seven ... more

Koichi Nishi is a man who wants revenge. A few years before, his father leapt to his death from an office window, forced into taking his own life by his corrupt bosses. Now Nishi is determined to make those responsible for his death suffer. And as he is the private secretary of the man he holds most responsible, Vice President Iwabuchi, and has just married Iwabuchi's daughter, it would seem that he is not far off achieving his goals. Nishi manages to blackmail some of his colleagues into helping him and it seems that the big bosses are finally about to get their comeuppance, when there is a rather major fly in the ointment - Nishi realises that he has fallen in love with his wife, Iwabuchi's daughter. Will he give up his plan for revenge for her? And in any case, can he beat the corrupt Japanese elite that run the company he works for?

The Bad Sleep Well is directed by Akira Kurosawa, also responsible for The Seven Samurai, who is a legendary Japanese director. He sadly died in 1998 at the age of 88, but his influence lives on. You may never have heard of him, but his films have influenced a number of well-known western films, such as A Fist Full of Dollars and The Magnificent Seven (an adaptation of The Seven Samurai). With an interest in films from the Far East, I've been meaning to watch a film by this director for some time, and The Bad Sleep Well seemed as good a place to start as any. It is apparently strongly influenced by Hamlet, but not being all that well acquainted with Hamlet, it is hard for me to make a comparison - except for the theme of revenge, of course. It is also a commentary on corrupt corporations in Japan. (Facts in this paragraph are taken from wikipedia).

Koichi Nishi is played by Toshiro Mifune, a very well-known Japanese actor. This is a powerful role - Nishi doesn't actually talk all that much, although he is in most scenes, but the hate that he feels for the men who he thinks were responsible for his father's death is all too evident. He is, on occasion, overly dramatic in the way that actors all too often were back in the time of black and white film. However, on the whole, he controls the performance well enough to give a reasonably natural performance. I much prefer the part of the film where his feelings for his wife, who is badly lame, begin to come to the fore, because this softens his character; before that point, it is actually quite hard to like him, despite his predicament. On the whole, Toshiro Mifune gives a powerful performance that is more than good enough to carry the film. However, a younger audience, unused to the style of acting back in 1960 when the film was made, may find it a little odd at times. However, anything about his performance that is exaggerated is nothing compared to his friend, played by Takeshi Kato, who gives one of the most over-blown screaming fits I have ever seen. Definitely not my cup of tea.

Masayuki Mori plays Vice President Iwabuchi, and manages to make himself deeply despicable - except where his daughter is concerned. With her, he is tender and kind and gentle, and it is suddenly hard to see why he behaves so disgustingly to everyone else. I think the actor plays the role just right, keeping the audience guessing about his response to what is going on. Thankfully, there is no over-acting here, just good quality acting that impressed me, at least. His daughter, Keiko, is played by Kyoko Kagawa. As befits the time and the culture, she is a very timid woman who doesn't like to force herself on people, although she is devastated that her new husband doesn't want to share a bed with her - again, this may be hard for some to take on board, because it seems as if she is a real doormat. However, bearing that in mind, I thought she gave a good performance, especially towards the end when her character finally got the chance to express herself.

This is a very complicated story, but the way that it is told makes it fairly easy to follow. There are, however, an awful lot of characters, all with Japanese names that are hard to take in. Most of these characters are not that important to the story though, so it is worth remembering not to concentrate too much on them, certainly not to the point of detracting from the story. There are some things that feel alien - for example, Nishi didn't even know his father all that well, so being so upset as to want to commit mass murder didn't sit all that well with me at first. Then I remembered the whole 'face' issue that is so prominent in Far Eastern culture; revenge would have been a matter of honour for Nishi, without it, he would probably found it difficult to live with himself. Remembering this does make the reactions of a lot of people in the film easier to take in. Another thing to remember, although linked to the issue of 'face' is that Japanese corporations have a hierarchy, which in turn means a distinct lack of transparency, therefore making it easier for the situation in this film to happen. Please note that I say easier - I am not suggesting that corruption does not happen in other countries, because obviously it does.

At a mammoth 151 minutes, this is not the type of film that I would want to see in a cinema. I actually watched it in two halves, which made it much easier to stomach. It is not that the story is boring, because it really isn't - there is always something of interest going on - but I am physically unable to sit still for nearly three hours. This is a Japanese film and there are subtitles; personally, I had no difficulty in following them, and as I have learned some Japanese in the past, I really enjoyed hearing the language (although I could understand very little). Another thing to note is that the film is in black and white. I was actually very surprised at how clear the picture was though, so please don't let that put you off watching.

There are a few 'special features', however, they are not all that special, in that they consist of written biographies and lists. There is a biography for both Akira Kurosawa and Toshiro Mifune, followed by a list of other films by the same director, including Seven Samurai and Rashomon. Finally, there is a list of acknowledgements by the British Film Institute, which is presumably responsible for this version of the film. I would have liked to see a documentary on the director - I'm sure there must be plenty - but sadly, it was not to be.

I liked this film, but I can understand many people will dismiss it because it is in Japanese and is a black and white film. I will say, however, that I really believe watching films from other cultures and different eras broadens the mind, so maybe you should give it a try - you never know, you might just enjoy it. After all, two thousand odd votes on imdb.com have given it a high rating of 8.1. Whether I have persuaded you or not, from my point of view, this film is recommended.

The DVD is available from play.com for £14.99, but shop around - Ebay may have it for less.

Classification: PG

Running time: 151 minutes

 

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