Review of The Bad Sleep Well (1960)
Despite and because of the plot treating such an interesting social problem (partly in a pretty cool way), Kurosawa’s theatricality is more annoying than ever. Hamlet (1603) has no business being such an influence here. Perhaps it would have worked better if the director had already had the expressionist balls of Dodesukaden (1970) to spice things up. The more humble expressionist attempt at “crazy” music for torture in this one is a dismal failure.
References here: High and Low (1963).