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Movies / On DVD / The Bad Sleep Well
The Bad Sleep Well

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The Bad Sleep Well (1960)

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Reviews Counted: 14

Fresh: 14

Rotten:0

Average Rating: 7.8/10

Runtime: 2 hrs 32 mins

Genre: Foreign Films

Synopsis: Something is rotten in Japan in this engaging drama by acclaimed director Akira Kurosawa. Toshirô Mifune stars as Koichi Nishi, the secretary to the president of a housing corporation, who seeks revenge for his father's murder. At... Something is rotten in Japan in this engaging drama by acclaimed director Akira Kurosawa. Toshirô Mifune stars as Koichi Nishi, the secretary to the president of a housing corporation, who seeks revenge for his father's murder. At Koichi's marriage to Kieko (Kyôko Kagawa), the president's daughter, memories of the death are stirred, and soon corruption within the organization is exposed. Unknown to the officials, Koichi is the hidden force behind the mysterious happenings that begin to weigh on their consciences and ruin their lives. As the story moves toward its tragic conclusion, spectral figures lurk in the darkened streets while others plot and scheme within their shining corporate offices. Loosely based on Shakespeare's HAMLET, Kurosawa's film skillfully combines themes from the classic play with a stylish 1960s film noir mood. [More]

Starring: Toshirô Mifune, Takeshi Kato, Masayuki Mori

Starring: Toshirô Mifune, Takeshi Kato, Masayuki Mori

Director: Akira Kurosawa

Director: Akira Kurosawa

[See More Credits]

DVD Info

 
 
 
 
Release:

Jan 10, 2006

[DVD Details]
 
 

DVD Features:

  • Keep Case
  • Widescreen - 2.35

Audio:

  • Dolby Digital Mono - Japanese
  • Subtitles - English - Optional

Additional Release Material:

  • Bonus Featurette - 1. 36-minute Documentary on the Making of BAD SLEEP WELL
  • Trailer - 1. Original Theatrical Trailer

Text/Photo Galleries:

  • Essay - 1. New essays - Richard Combs, Michael Almereyda

Reviews for The Bad Sleep Well

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1 - 14 (sorted by date; Australian critics are listed first)
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Arrange By: Fresh | Rotten | Comments | Name | Source | Date
 
 
Ratings Image

t is almost an anti-thriller, but viewers who are willing to steep themselves in the intricacies of Japanese ceremonies and the banal details of evil will find the experience highly rewarding.

Full Review Source: DVDLaser | comment Comment
06/19/08
Douglas Pratt
DVDLaser
Ratings Image

Opening with a bravura wedding sequence and ending with a sycophantic bow to a replaced telephone receiver, the film has its longueurs, but Mifune's buttoned-down avenger is a compelling portrait of righteous obsession foundering on unpredictable reality.

Full Review Source: Village Voice | comment Comment
06/19/08
Ed Park
Village Voice
Ratings Image

One of Kurosawa's finest achievements.

Full Review Source: TV Guide's Movie Guide | comment Comment
06/19/08
TV Guide's Movie Guide
Ratings Image

There just seemed to be a missing ingredient to raise this intense psychological drama to the level of a Rashomon.

Full Review Source: Ozus' World Movie Reviews | comment Comment
07/24/06
Dennis Schwartz
Ozus' World Movie Reviews
Ratings Image

Despite having been made more than 45 years ago and in a postwar Japanese setting, in the age of Enron, it may be more relevant than ever.

Full Review Source: Q Network Film Desk | comment Comment
03/18/06
James Kendrick
Q Network Film Desk
Ratings Image

Kurosawa rather loaded the film on the side of social significance, while neglecting to capitalise on the noir aspects that underlie it. Even so, his use of the 'scope screen is masterly.

Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
01/26/06
Tom Milne
Time Out
Ratings Image

A freestyle homage to Hamlet that does away with the costumed faithfulness of Kurosawa's other Shakespeare adaptations.

Full Review Source: Slant Magazine | comment Comment
01/09/06
Nick Schager
Slant Magazine
Ratings Image

A startlingly relevant 'social problem film' (shakai-mono)--of its time and our own--and an existential melodrama by way of Hamlet.

Full Review Source: Groucho Reviews | comment Comment
12/29/05
Peter Canavese
Groucho Reviews
Ratings Image

No review available.

comment Comment
07/07/05
Emanuel Levy
EmanuelLevy.Com
Ratings Image

This is a powerful and interesting picture that Kurosawa has made -- a bit tedious and mawkish in the last reels, but exciting enough along the way to satisfy audiences that know the subject.

Full Review Source: New York Times | comment Comment
05/10/05
Bosley Crowther
New York Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
Ratings Image

It's still as visually striking as anything you will see by this director.

Full Review Source: Channel 4 Film | comment Comment
06/22/04
Fran Hortop
Channel 4 Film
Ratings Image

No review available.

comment Comment
08/22/03
Carol Cling
Las Vegas Review-Journal
Ratings Image

No review available.

comment Comment
07/30/02
Philip Martin
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Ratings Image

A well-done thriller with Kurosawa's usual social overtones.

Full Review Source: Chicago Reader | comment Comment
01/01/00
Dave Kehr
Chicago Reader
1 - 14 (sorted by date; Australian critics are listed first)
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