The film Stray Dog by
Akira Kurosawa perfectly represents a protégé/mentor relationship. The film is
focused on a rookie detective named Murakami and the journey to find his stolen
gun. When the case is first assigned to Murakami, he experiences frequent
frustration until he is given a partner, a more experienced detective named
Sato. Sato can control some of Murakami’s impulsiveness throughout the
investigation and, over time, teaches him better interrogative skills. In an
analysis by Patrick McCoy, he argues that “the film is a simple detective
film on one level. But the film’s subtext suggests criticism of society’s
economic divisions that force some individuals to turn to crime to survive or
from sheer desperation.” However, the movie goes beyond the surface of a
simple detective film. McCoy’s analysis focuses on the protégé/mentor idea
between a seasoned veteran and rookie officer.
The movie’s plot is
developed around three characters: Murakami (rookie detective), Sato (veteran
detective), and Yusa (the criminal). Murakami must navigate the streets of
Tokyo to look for his missing colt, which is almost impossible given his
limited experience in the field. The mentor/protégé relationship begins when
Sato is assigned as Murakami’s partner; Sato as a mentor is highlighted through
his experience and resilience, while Murakami’s as a protégé is portrayed
through his limited knowledge and cluelessness. Despite Murakami’s clumsy and
impulsive nature, Sato recognizes his potential and takes him under his wing;
his role as a mentor is not only highlighted by his investigative experience
but also through the moral guidance he offers Murakami.
Sato is calm and relaxed
in his investigation skills to guide Murakami in the search for the pistol. The
inexperience of Murakami is depicted through growing anxiety, shame, and his
reactionary behavior that impedes the investigation. Throughout the movie, Sato
is dedicated to turning him into an excellent detective and changing his
reactionary behavior to help improve his skills. Sato’s mentorship is subtle;
he only delivers some things to Murakami. Murakami has to observe, analyze, and
learn from different scenarios to navigate the various scenarios he faces.
Arguably, detective work requires an officer to be calm in all scenarios, an
attribute that Murakami lacks; he possesses an aggressive attribute in contrast
to Sato, an attribute that he tries to instill in him in the efforts of making
him an effective officer. This is evident in the scene where Sato’s calm
demeanor and insightful questioning techniques help collect meaningful
information to track the antagonist, unlike Murakami’s aggressive approach.
In addition to instilling
technical mentorship, the mentor/protégé relationship and story is emboldened
through Sato investing moral knowledge in Murakami, which serves as a moral
compass to Murakami by asserting the significance of following the law during
the investigation, even in the face of violence. Similarly, his forgiving
nature and clear distinction between good and evil guide Murakami, shaping him
into a moral detective. During the investigation, Sato invites Murakami to his
home. As they work, he explains to him the complexities of law enforcement and
detective work, specifically, the interrogation process, which he struggled
with due to his assertive nature. Sato explains why the questioning process is
complicated and an aggressive approach to interrogating suspects never works,
which Murakami then begins to understand. This scene is the epitome of a
mentor/protégé relationship because Sato serves as a guide to Murakami in
various aspects of the law.
Kurosawa’s Stray Dog is a
perfect example of the protégé/mentor relationship between two detectives, Murakami,
and Sato, as they journey to find Murakami’s stolen colt. Sato teaches him
different techniques that will help him in future investigations and shape his
moral compass along the way.
I feel I’m not a bad writer when it comes to things like Economics and more humanities based papers, but these movie reviews are really killing me. I should have never taken this class. Please help.
Thank you