Fresh to the Tokyo police force Murakami (longtime Kurosawa regular Toshiro Mifune) is not having a good day. Besides having his gun stolen on a crowded bus, his police-issued firearm is now being used by a criminal for robberies and worse. What’s a guy to do? Well, take to the hot summer streets and do some detective work for one.

This is the simple premise of Stray Dog (1949), Kurosawa’s ninth film and crime noir masterpiece. Complete with murder, copious amounts of smoking, and plenty of rain, this is film noir at its best. That’s not to say Kurosawa doesn’t take some liberties with the genre. Stray Dog is also a departure from conventional crime noir with much of the film set during the day rather than night, the hot summer sun an ever-present force for the down and out, post-WWII Japan. In fact, in addition to main leads Murakami and aging mentor Sato, the blistering heat is practically a character unto itself. With characters constantly fanning themselves, wiping their brows, and drinking water, the hot summer days are almost palpable. Add in an array of cutaway shots scattered throughout the film (something Kurosawa is famous for), and you have a film rich with atmosphere.

Of course, Stray Dog isn’t just about atmosphere. Like many of Kurosawa’s other films, the deceivingly simple setup is host to many layers, meanings, and themes. For example, during Murakami’s search for his stolen firearm, he partners up with police veteran Sato (Takashi Shimura), who serves as both a guide for Murakami as well as wise mentor. It’s halfway into the film, during a talk over dinner, that Sato says this: “bad luck either makes a man or breaks him”. This line, in many ways, sums up the film as a whole.

See, as the film progresses and the culprit comes into focus, the parallels between him (or her) and Murakami become more and more evident. Both have had a string of bad luck and while one chose a life dedicated to justice, the other was led to ruin. It’s from this turn of bad luck, that this “stray dog” has become something far worse – a mad, rabid dog. And as more and more people fall prey to this feral beast wielding (wielding Murakami’s gun no less), the urgency to stop him becomes more apparent with each passing moment.

I’ve tried to shy away from story details as much I could, as much of the film’s draw is not only the atmosphere and experience but story as well. For those who have enjoyed Kurosawa’s other works, fancy a good detective story, or just a great movie in general, Stray Dog is one movie you need to see. With it’s superb atmosphere, sharp (and often humorous) dialogue, and focus on human behavior, Stray Dog is Kurosawa’s first of many masterpieces.

Stray Dog is available on DVD via the Criterion Collection in Japanese with English subtitles, with a runtime of 122 minutes. Additionally, for those that live in the New York City area and would like to see the film on the big screen (and in a new 35mm print to boot), the Film Forum, located at 209 W Houston St. New York, New York, is screening the film from January 6th thru January 14th with daily showtimes at 2:00, 4:30, 7:00, and 9:30.