Akira Kurosawa’s Warui yatsu hodo yoku nemuru (US: The Bad Sleep Well) is an epic noir drama that sets a yakuza tale with Hamlet themes in the postwar Japanese corporate world. Beginning with one of the tensest wedding receptions you’ve ever seen (among other frights, the bride’s brother’s toast includes a threat on the groom’s life), the film stars Toshirô Mifune as Kōichi Nishi, the young executive who just married the disabled daughter (Kyōko Kagawa) of Public Corporation Vice President Iwabuchi (Masayuki Mori) whose business is under investigation for rigged bidding. After a top executive is arrested, assistant-to-the-chief Wada (Kamatari Fujiwara) attempts suicide by jumping into an active volcano (a stunning scene that feels like it takes place on another planet), but he’s prevented at the last minute by Nishi, who convinces him to fake his death so they both can take revenge on Iwabuchi. Kurosawa reveals key information slowly and skillfully, alternating sterile boardroom sets with otherworldly locations like volcanoes and bombed-out ruins. Popular Japanese star Kō Nishimura portrays contract officer Shirai, a key enabler of the corruption who is drawn quite literally insane by his guilt, helped along by Nishi and Wada: the scenes in which Shirai is repeatedly met by headlights on a remote street are a highlight. While some may find the last 45 minutes or so to drag, Kurosawa’s opus goes deep.