Our first entry in Noirvember is a film of multiple firsts. It is the first film to portray yakuza in a post-World War II environment, and maybe more importantly, it is the first collaboration between director Akira Kurosawa and actor Toshiro Mifune – considered one of the greatest filmmaking duos of all time. It is also an early example of Japanese Noir.

Takashi Shimura plays the titular drunken angel, Sanada, a doctor with a bit of a drinking problem. At the very beginning of the film, he’s mending the hand of a patient, Matsunaga (Toshiro Mifune), a yakuza who just got out of a gunfight with a rival. Sanada diagnoses Matsunaga with tuberculosis after a particularly bad coughing fit. They develop a volatile friendship as each of them refuses to let go of their masculinity to allow themselves the vulnerability of someone who needs help. When the tuberculosis diagnosis is confirmed through x-ray, Matsunaga is instructed to shun alcohol and women so his body can rest and fight off the TB.

At first, Matsunaga is determined to listen to the doctor, but when Okada (the previous yakuza in Matsunaga’s position) is let out of prison, Matsunaga quickly falls back into his usual vices. Okada has another tie to Sanada than just Matsunaga. Miyo, Sanada’s female assistant, was once Okada’s girlfriend, and in fact, him cutting up her face is what got him sent to prison in the first place. In an attempt to get Miyo back, Okada shows up at the doctor’s with the intent to kill him if he doesn’t reveal where Miyo is. Matsunaga, barely able to stand at this point, defends the doctor from harm, and simultaneously determine that Okada is not one he should be running around with. When it’s clear that Okada intends to let Matsunaga get killed, Matsunaga sneaks away from the doctor’s place to Okada’s apartment to settle things once and for all.

Kurosawa’s use of the guitar soundtrack in this film is interesting as it contrasts greatly from the scenes taking place on screen. The music is surprisingly upbeat despite the violence and depressing tone of the movie. It’s an entertaining use of dichotomy, but not the most significant. What is significant above all is Kurosawa’s critique on masculinity and American influence in Japan. A nightclub scene, complete with jitterbugging and a written-for-the-film jazz number, is particularly scathing.

More than anything else, however, the highlight of Drunken Angel is the performance of the two leads. Shimura, by this point, was no stranger to Kurosawa’s films, as he appeared in Kurosawa’s directorial debut, Sanshiro Sugata, as well as four other Kurosawa films and a near 15-year career prior to Drunken Angel. Mifune, however, was only on his third film with no prior acting training when he played Matsunaga. All at once, he is angry, charming, sympathetic, and pathetic. Some people are just born to act, and Toshiro Mifune was one of those people.

If you’re looking for something noir-ish to watch this season, Drunken Angel has a lot to offer.