Once again, Kurosawa gives us a group of one-dimensional characters, all of which aren't particularly interesting or out of the ordinary. But this time, the point that he sets out to make is so well put, that there really isn't a dull moment in the entire 2 and a half hours.
The casting is perfect, the framing is as usual, second to none. The pacing and rhythm is wonderful. Even Takashi Shimura, who I'll say, once again reprises his role from both Scandal and maybe even Rashomon as an inexhaustibly despondent stick in the mud, fails to dull this exquisite piece of movie magic. 5 stars easy.
To clarify, Mr. Shimura certainly came off wonderfully in this film. I really just don't see that he needed to emote much more than a frown whilst refraining from blinking. The last scene with the young girl was great though. That girl was the best piece of casting I think.

If you are familiar with Japanese cinema then you probably know the actor Toshiro Mifune from SEVEN SAMURAI. He truly was one of the great film actors in world cinema. But for my money Takashi Shimura was equally as good, maybe even better and vastly underrated. He was the doctor in the first GODZILLA film, the one who decided to cut his air line and remain underwater to kill Godzilla. Remember him now? A fitting comparison between Shimura and Mifune might be that of the two great English actors, Laurence Olivier and Ralph Richardson. To my money, Richardson was the understated, reserved actor who reminded me of Fred Astaire. Takashi Shimura is that type of actor. The guy doesn't know how to hide an emotion. You can just see the weariness in his face as Ikeda, an aging bureaucrat who only wants to have a nice, small playground built so children will be safe and happy. But the amount of red tape he faces in order to get this done is almost insurmountable. Just take a look at the amount of paper that Kurusowa places on everyone's desks: it's piled almost to the ceiling in some cases, stacked precariously like small mountains getting ready to topple. If you haven't seen this film, or if you love great screen acting, then you owe it to yourself to watch this film and see one of the greatest screen actors of all-time in his finest performance.

I cannot believe I've lived 42 years and never seen this, it simply is the greatest film of the human condition ever made.