I Live in Fear

Play trailer

I Live in Fear

1967,

1h 45m,

Drama

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

73%

11 Reviews

Tomatometer

76%

500+ Ratings

Popcornmeter

73%

Tomatometer

11 Reviews

76%

Popcornmeter

500+ Ratings

"I Live in Fear" is an expressive, caustic portrait of madness. Toshiro Mifune plays an aging industrialist driven to madness over fears of a nuclear attack. The most frightening aspect of Kurosawa's film is not the threat of nuclear annihilation, but the proliferation of man's inhumanity and greed, expressed by the family's zeal to commit their father and keep their inheritances intact.

Jonathan Rosenbaum

Chicago Reader

Sep 12, 2019

I persist in finding it among the most memorable: eerie, troubling, and haunting.

Go to Full Review

Bosley Crowther

New York Times

May 9, 2005

1.5/5

I feel sure that Mr. Kurosawa could have come up with a more constructive thought on how people should use their energies to pacifistic purpose than the negative one he gives us here.

Go to Full Review

Gary Dowell

Dallas Morning News

Apr 10, 2003

B+

A compelling look at postwar Japan as well as the onset of Cold War paranoia.

Go to Full Review

Louis Proyect

rec.arts.movies.reviews

Sep 2, 2010

A rough adaptation of King Lear, just as was "Ran" that Kurosawa made 30 years later. Not without its problems, but any Kurosawa is better than the Cineplex crap in your local neighborhood.

Go to Full Review

Fernando F. Croce

CinePassion

Sep 6, 2009

Akira Kurosawa's social x-raying is a continuation of Ikiru

Go to Full Review

Emanuel Levy

EmanuelLevy.Com

Jun 29, 2005

3/5

Read all reviews

Harry W

Feb 16, 2019

The detachment from any of the complex characters running around makes for somewhat of an irritating experience for half of it, but Mifune balances his character's dilemmas and psychosis so well that the last 20 minutes or so of this film launch it into brilliance in many ways.

See more

Draco R

Jun 16, 2017

This could very well be Toshiro Mifune's best performance of his career. Despite only being 35 years old at the time of the movie, Mifune was incredibly convincing as a 70 year old man. While I didn't grow up in an era that was bogged down by the fear of nuclear annihilation, it was very easy to empathize with Mifune's character as we see him overwhelmed by the fear of the h-bomb. This movie reminded me very much of 12 Angry Men, as the story is told through the eyes of a principled man tasked with deliberating the legal issues at the center of this movie's plot. A special shout-out to Takashi Shimura's performance in this movie is warranted. Respect.

See more

Read all reviews

Akira Kurosawa

Director

Toshiro Mifune

Kiichi Nakajima

Eiko Miyoshi

Toyo

Haruko Tôgô

Yoki Nakajima

Masao Shimizu

Yamazaki, Yoshi's Husband

Yutaka Sada

Ichiro

Pushover

83%

47%

Pushover

Watchlist

Buster and Billie

91%

Buster and Billie

Watchlist

Lucia

89%

77%

Lucia

Watchlist

Heart of Glass

93%

72%

Heart of Glass

Watchlist

Going Places

71%

86%

Going Places

Watchlist

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

Classic Film Catch-Up: Hollywood’s Most Unnerving Descents Into Madness

Now Streaming: Jane the Virgin, Arrow, American Psycho, And More

View more photos

Synopsis

"I Live in Fear" is an expressive, caustic portrait of madness. Toshiro Mifune plays an aging industrialist driven to madness over fears of a nuclear attack. The most frightening aspect of Kurosawa's film is not the threat of nuclear annihilation, but the proliferation of man's inhumanity and greed, expressed by the family's zeal to commit their father and keep their inheritances intact.

Director: Akira Kurosawa
Producer: Sojiro Motoki
Screenwriter: Shinobu Hashimoto, Akira Kurosawa, Hideo Oguni
Production Co: Toho Company
Genre: Drama
Original Language: Japanese
Release Date (Theaters): Jan 25, 1967, Wide
Release Date (DVD): Jan 15, 2008
Runtime: 1h 45m
Sound Mix: Mono

Join The Newsletter

Join The Newsletter

Cookie Settings