From the opening frame (literally) to the last, Kurosawa never makes the smallest misstep nor permits it in anyone else. Every camera angle, every composition, every cut, every performance, is -- as far as I can see -- brilliantly right.

A tighter film, concentrating and balancing police activity and human conflicts would have given this added distinction in arty circles. As is, it's a finely tooled item, made by a master craftsman.

The film explores not only the method but the mind of the criminal and does it in meticulous fashion. It is lengthy, but absorbing, and the acting throughout is expert. If you're a "whodunit" fan, here's a movie you shouldn't miss.

an expertly crafted mystery thriller whose story of a kidnapping and its aftermath is woven through with a particularly acute portrait of the decay of modern Japan