From the very very beginning during the opening credits sequence, we are given the ominous feeling of paranoia, the feeling with which it's vital to sympathize with Toshiro Mifune's character, an old foundry owner convinced that Japan is on the brink of nuclear obliteration, trying to force his reluctant and resentful family to safety in Brazil.

Mifune's performance is so very masculine and real, as are nearly all of them. In this film, he displays a self-assurance that allows him to descend into pathetic helplessness. Of all the post-war Kurosawa films that I've seen so far, I Live In Fear is the most direct and informative. America may feed off of the dread showcased by the Japanese culture in this film and some may feel terribly sad for the individualistic portrayal of the debilitating fear stricken into the immovable hearts of stubborn old men like Mifune's character.

Even as early as WWII, I learned, America's most powerful weapon has been fear. However, in those times, it was a much purer, less vain utility. But what about the people it destroys for the sake of its own feeling of security?

This is an odd little curio from the Cold War era. I think it played a lot better back in the 1950s, as today many younger viewers won't be able to relate to the theme...it will all seem too weird and too tough to understand.

Toshiro Mifune plays a man much older than he actually was--so he's had his hair whitened for the film and he walks about hunched over like an old man. He suffers from a severe obsession--that Japan is going to be destroyed by a nuclear war. Now back then, such worries were pretty common--and pretty normal. But, the degree to which this bothers him is extraordinary. He simply cannot function as he is so obsessively worried--and insists as the family patriarch that his entire family move to the only safe place on Earth--the Brazilian rain forest! He also wants to sell off the family's profitable business--a factory that employs hundreds of workers.

Much of the film concerns the family's reaction to the mania--a tough balancing act between traditional Japanese reverence for the elderly as well as the family standing against this tradition to oppose him. It also concerns the reaction of one particular person outside the family (Takashi Shimura)--a man who sits on a committee of three to decide whether or not Mifune is competent to control the family assets.

Eventually whether or not the family moves and sells the business is decided by Mifune and the end of the film is rather heart-breaking. In fact, it's a bit of a missed opportunity in a way. You see, in many ways, Mifune is the NORMAL person through much of the film because others are NOT so concerned about nuclear annihilation! But, this is completely lost in the end when you see that, yes, Mifune's character is 100% crazy! Not a bad film, but one that just seemed to miss the mark a few times--especially at the end. After all, what was it really trying to say?! I'm not exactly sure.

I Live in Fear is not one of Akira Kurosawa's masterpieces to me, however it is not a bad movie, far from it. I actually found it a great film, true there are times when there is an uncertainty of tone but mostly it is focused and very movingly and intensely conveyed. The script is thought-provoking and there is as with all Kurosawas a successful effort to make the characters human. The pacing, even for a movie that is not all that long, may test the patience of some people but what's for sure I wasn't one of those. The acting is very good, Toshiro Mifune is as commanding as he always was, even if this is not quite up there with one of his best performances. Takashi Shimura has also been better but also delights. The best assets though were the production values and Kurosawa's direction. The combination of montage sequences and fluid long takes continue to fascinate and the direction is subtle and never slack or too muddled. In conclusion, one of Kurosawa's most underrated films, not one of his best but still great and deserving of more praise. 9/10 Bethany Cox