The story takes place in a large city, but all of the events happen in a slum neighborhood surrounding a large foul-looking pond. Perhaps it's a crater from the war. Whatever it's origins, it's now a filth-filled hole full of garbage. The water looks black and something is slowly bubbling up from underneath. Around this disgusting cancer live thousands of people. All going about their lives as best they can. One such person is a doctor (played brilliantly by Takashi Shimura). He's an alcoholic, but truly cares about people. A drunken angel. One night a local gangster (Toshiro Mifune) comes to him for help. He says he has a nail in his hand. Shimura pulls out a bullet. From this meeting blossoms a unlikely friendship. Shimura tells Mifune to take it easy since he believes that Mifune has tuberculosis. At first he does, but when some gangster business comes up Mifune falls back into his old ways of partying hard and fighting hard.
There's not much action in DRUNKEN ANGEL, it mainly has to do with the characterizations and the daily lives of Mifune, Shimura and the people in their lives. I've read about some people disliking Mifune's surreal dream scene, but I thought it was brilliant. Reminded me a little of the main characters nightmare in LOS OLVIDADOS.
It's not a masterpiece, but it is the first of Kurosawa's truly great movies. Highly recommended.
