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Money rules

The Bad Sleep Well (Warui yatsu hodo yoku nemuru, Japanese; 1960)
Director: Akira Kurosawa

Films are made day in and day out but a classics like Kurosawa's stays eternally in the minds of film lovers. This is another movie highlighting the evils that corporations do to syphon off public funds for their own interest but what makes it an evergreen is the depth of the plot. It is supposed to have elements of Shakespeare's Hamlet in its narrative.

The movie starts with journalists waiting patiently passing sarcastic remarks of a wealthy tycoon, the Vice President of a public listed company which develops public land, daughter's wedding reception. They are hoping to pick up a scoop to report. Their moment of truth comes when one of his assistants get arrested for corruption during the reception through some embarrassing moments for the guests.

The story gets very complicated but becomes crystal clear at the end. Nishi (Toshiro Mifune), a dashing young man who is the Vice President's secretary, is sniggered for marrying the crippled daughter, Yoshiko. They accuse him of marrying for money. Another embarrassing moment happens when a cake is ushered in announced in the shape of a building where one of the directors, Furuya, is said to have jumped off!

The plot thickens when suspects associated with corruption case and money goes missing. And apparitions of dead people start manifesting.

You see, Nishi is Furuya's illegitimate son who is out to avenge his father's death by exposing the corrupt practices to the authorities. He marries into the family incognito to this end. Part of the story involves the soliloquy of his wanderings about playing with the heart of the innocent like Yoshiko. He realises that he is slowly falling in love with his wife even though his sole intention initially was revenge.

At the end of the day, Nishi's slick manoeuvres are discovered by his father in law. An automobile accident is staged to kill off Nishi, leaving Yoshiko to lose her mind! In spite of all these, the Vice President continues on with his money making mission without batting an eyelid.

The film tries to highlight the feudalistic mindset that prevailed in Japan at the time of the movie was made. It showcases the extent people would go to show their loyalty to their paymasters. Truth and justice take a back seat, and money shows its muscle. Hey, 50 years on, the exact thing is happening in Malaysia. People do not know what constitutes being faithful to the nation and what is being a racist!
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