Another brilliant and suspenseful Kurosawa morality tale. In short, be careful who you allow to marry into your family, otherwise you might inherit someone like Nishi, the son-in-law from hell, portrayed with vitriolic passion by Toshiro Mifune. Kurosawa once again turns a mirror on post-war Japanese society....with blowtorch effect. This time it is the corrupt leaders of two of the largest Japanese construction corporations who are involved in kicking back millions of yen to each other. And when the plot is discovered? The corporate workers are all expected to act as the feudal samurai once did: protect your lord, fall on your sword, and tell no one anything. From it's memorable opening wedding scene, with the entrance of the second "wedding cake", to the final scenes brilliantly shot beneath ground, Kurosawa once again proves himself a master at detailing corruption, greed and true heroism. Best scene(s): Shirai sees his old pal Wada on the street one night......

Classic Kurosawa. IMO, this might be the most "Mifune" roll of all Mifune rolls too. As usual, it drags in some points, and this time the plot gets a little flimsy at a few spots.. but the vast majority of the film is pretty special. The stage is set masterfully, the message is singular and powerful and the film's world stays in your mind well after it's over.
I've only got two more Kurosawa films to watch here on hulu, this one is certainly better than average.

Great Movie in all respects. The opening scene in particular is incredible--perfectly paced, photographed, everything else. Not like Hamlet at all though--Sure there's a son seeking revenge for the death of his father, but the comparisons end there.