I just finished watching the Criterion edition of Akira Kurosawa's "Stray Dog," and I honestly cannot think of a better thing to say than, "Oh, my God!" This movie, clocking in at just over two hours, so mesmerized me with its story, naturalistic acting and technique, I honestly did not notice the time. And when it was over, I was drained.<br /><br />The story is simple -- a rookie detective's pistol is stolen from him and, as he frantically tries to track it down, winds up being used in crimes that grow more and more violent. Sounds like the kind of thing tossed off every week in one of the "Law & Order" series or any other fake police drama on TV. But the way Kurosawa and his co-writer, Ryuzo Kikushima, take this story and layer in shame and guilt and responsibility and reality and acceptance and understanding and pity and anything else you can consider a decent human emotion is breathtaking. Try finding anything like THAT on "CSI" or "SVU".<br /><br />As Murakami, the rookie, Toshiro Mifune internalizes his usual intensity and lets his eyes and expressions convey his growing sense of shame and horror when his pistol is used first in a robbery and then again in an even worse crime. As his mentor, Det. Sato, Takashi Shimura offers a gentle honesty and low-key approach to life that is not tempered by any pity for the criminals; he even tells Murakami that he hates them...and says it so simply, it's like it's the most natural thing in the world. The bond that grows between these two men...the chemistry between them...is the heart and soul of the movie, but the incidental characters are just as important. A pickpocket who feels pity for Murakami and brings him a beer and some food. A young showgirl who just wants something pretty in her life. A poverty-stricken sister worried about her brother. A gun dealer who loves baseball. A hotel owner with the hots for one of his maids. All add to the tapestry of Tokyo in the immediate post-war period and expand upon the emotion of the piece.<br /><br />Add to this Kurosawa's already masterful technique and sense of storytelling, and you have a thriller more gripping and involving than just about anything churned out by today's Hollywood (the "Bourne..." series excepted). The closest American film I can think of that even begins to approach this movie's combination of an honest, tedious criminal investigation and real human emotion is "The Naked City", which was made in 1948. And that movie still had its "Hollywood-ish" elements in the home scenes with Don Taylor's detective.<br /><br />"Stray Dog" isn't just a movie; it's like a Ferrari that seems to merely purr as you drive it...until you look at the speedometer and realize you're doing 110. On top of this, the Criterion edition of the movie has a wonderful documentary about the making of the film. Watch the show, first, then watch the documentary to savor it. It's totally worth the ticket.