← Back to the films
The Bad Sleep Well 1960

The Bad Sleep Well

A young executive pursues the person responsible for his father’s death. Kurosawa carries the revenge story into the offices and hierarchies of postwar corporate Japan.

Catalogue reference: 150 min (Criterion Collection spine 319 catalogue presentation).

Listed catalogue duration, not a measured runtime. Exact cut and matching disc or stream have not been established.

1960 · Directed by Akira Kurosawa

What to expect

The film brings the family loyalties of Hamlet into contact with noir and institutional corruption. Revenge has to work through a system, not simply find one villain.

How to ease in

Track professional rank and family connections together. Ask who can give orders and who must absorb the consequences.

For viewers who enjoy political thrillers and compromised institutions.

Less suitable for a clean, uncomplicated revenge fantasy.

Heads-up

Murder and revenge sit inside a dense corporate plot. It suits a focused viewing rather than casual background watching.

Sources for the facts

Where to go next

Momo's Note Who is Momo? →
Momo staring dreamily with a little drool

— COMING SOON —

Why no note yet?

  • Hasn't seen it yet.
  • Too good for words.
  • Too bad for words.

Continue through the catalogue →