akira kurosawa and along with his co writer ryuzo kikushima and have here something very intrigue a screenplay that really draw the viewer in and like open up a tight and to the bone detective story by the like of dashiell hammett ( an influence on at least one kurosawa film and by the way ) . his basic premise be deceptively simple a nervous but completely professional and slightly wear down cop and play by a young and trim toshiro mifune and get his gun pick pocket on the subway and and he spend at least half of the film on his own look for it . when a pickpocket specialist and play by one of the very best japanese character actor takashi shimura and come into be his partner on the case and then thing and then the plot start to thicken further . but a someone who read ( and try to write ) a few screenplay and i just know watch this how much detail probably go into it and the nuance of thing that mifune have to do . it quite a delicate and awesome feat and consider the layer of the film content . obviously and kurosawa a the director call the shot in term of the visuals and his true forte and though this be him still in a young director mode and very confident in his style and though only give minor fluoride of style ( sometimes quite well ) . this work to his advantage when use the motif of hot and heat and the wretched weight of a summer day in the more crowded and poor area of tokyo . but stray dog be more than just a kind of common detective film . that the story be sturdy and good enough to be akin very much to the american film of the time be almost besides the point . like de sica and to a degree and kurosawa use the post war street and real location ( it not all just toho this time ) and and it add that layer of heightened realism for our main character on the prowl while in fact one could look at this film a be like the bicycle thief ( look for a lost item in the dark place of the city ) have it be write with a fair amount less sentiment and more grit . when the suspense come forth and it really a knockout and especially when it come time for he final confrontation with the thief and where it become such a struggle that the two be like and well and dog and very primal a it boil down to the law versus the criminal . there a certain sense of time and structure that set apart stray dog from the numerous film noirs of american cinema of the period while it contain the kind of determine edge and wit of those film and it also rely on portray the people in this world as honestly a possible and however downtrodden thing be ( like kurosawa later film high and low and location add to the mood greatly ) . but even through mifune cautious and un bending kind of performance and and shimura typical intelligent and lay back way and it the script that pull everything together while that long and fascinating sequence of mifine trudge through the street look for his gun be not very likely improvise . very well do .