Cinema: Gentlemen of Japan

The Bad Sleep Well. The bribe is a dominant fact of business life in Japan, and the fiscal scandal is a frequent feature of the public prints. To this situation Akira Kurosawa, a superb director with a burning concern for social problems (Ikirn), addresses himself in this angry, ironic, sometimes unfair but always violently exciting study of corruption in high places. His story is circumstantial, but his theme is universal: turn the rascals out! A scandal breaks. The subsidiaries of a construction trust are accused of rigging bids on government contracts. Secret kickbacks are suspected; elected officials may be involved. The...

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