Dora-heita

Other reviewers here have summed this up far better than ever I can. Suffice to say a comedy with a hard edge about the supposedly inept newly appointed playboy commissioner who attempts to clean up a crooked town by acting as one of the boys. In part excellent & in part a let down. Could have been so much more if some vacillating scenes had been strengthened but still a good watch, add 5 points for samurai film lovers. In opposition to others I quite liked the unusual theme score

There's a lot of humor in Dora-Heita, and it's fun to watch, but there's just not nearly enough blood! The action is decent even without sweet carnage.

The script is somewhat slight and scattershot, but this film's strength lies in its portrayal of corrupt officials in cahoots with buffoonish criminals, and the Yojimbo-like protagonist who exposes them with wit and subversion. A film of sharp skepticism with regard to government and authority, treated in an oddly whimsical and often blatantly goofy manner. Sometimes the exposition is too much, with a flurry of barely-seen characters and a couple of tenuous subplots, but mostly it's pretty fun.

Interesting film, with a very charismatic lead. Kurosawa was one of the writers for this, and it felt very similar to Yojimbo to me. The fight scenes were the weakest part of the film, and I also wish that the neat music from the DVD menu had been in the film rather than the soundtrack they chose.

An engaging story about corruption and graft, and makes some sharp comments about government. The hero, a commissioner newly appointed to clean up the town, manages to get the job done without once stepping foot in his office. It's got a serviceable balance of intrigue, comedy and action. The comedy is mostly strong (a few dumb moments notwithstanding) but it could have used a little more action. It's rather talky at first and takes a little while to get going. Also, the synthesizer score is horrible.