In the post-war WWII Tokyo, the Yakuza gangster Matsunaga (Toshirô Mifune) seeks the alcoholic Doctor Sanada (Takashi Shimura) to remove a bullet from his hand, and he warns Matsunaga that he has tuberculosis and needs treatment. The bully Matsunaga keeps his arrogant position of tough Yakuza leader in a troubled relationship with Dr. Sanada, but follows his recommendation and stops drinking and smoking. When the former boss Okada (Reisaburo Yamamoto) is released from prison, Matsunaga starts drinking and smoking again with his Okada and his illness worsens. Later Okada threatens Dr. Sanada and his nurse Miyo (Chieko Nakakita) and Matsunaga decides to meets the Yakuza boss invoking their code of honor to help the physician; however, he finds that he is expendable in the underworld where he once ruled.
"Yoidore Tenshi" is one of the first works of the master Akira Kurosawa and the first point that calls the attention in 2009 is the destroyed and soiled Tokyo, surrounded by illness, corruption and open sewage reflecting the poor condition of the after war Japan and their society. The pessimist story is centered in an alcoholic medical doctor and a tubercular gangster, and they have these conditions due to wrong choices in their past. The Yakuza Code of Honor is destroyed with the lack of respect to Matsunaga, who would be sacrificed in a confrontation with the rival Kitajima. However the movie has a hopeful conclusion with the recovering of the seventeen year-old girl. The fate of the gangster Okada is not clear, but I presume he was sent back to prison for killing Matsunaga. My vote is eight.
Title (Brazil): "O Anjo Embriagado" ("The Drunken Angel")
"Yoidore Tenshi" is one of the first works of the master Akira Kurosawa and the first point that calls the attention in 2009 is the destroyed and soiled Tokyo, surrounded by illness, corruption and open sewage reflecting the poor condition of the after war Japan and their society. The pessimist story is centered in an alcoholic medical doctor and a tubercular gangster, and they have these conditions due to wrong choices in their past. The Yakuza Code of Honor is destroyed with the lack of respect to Matsunaga, who would be sacrificed in a confrontation with the rival Kitajima. However the movie has a hopeful conclusion with the recovering of the seventeen year-old girl. The fate of the gangster Okada is not clear, but I presume he was sent back to prison for killing Matsunaga. My vote is eight.
Title (Brazil): "O Anjo Embriagado" ("The Drunken Angel")