--- title: "Ikiru" year: 1952 kind: "film" canonical: "https://film.one/film/ikiru" fi1m_id: "ikiru" imdb_id: "tt0044741" tmdb_id: 3782 wikidata_id: "Q152105" fi1m_score: 92 critics_score: 87 critics_reviews: 9 published: "2026-09-15" updated: "2026-09-18T08:38:00.892702+00:00" region: "US" licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Ikiru (1952) Directed by Akira Kurosawa · 2h 23m · MPA NR · Drama ## Identity Ikiru - **Canonical:** https://film.one/film/ikiru - **Type:** Film - **Fi1m ID:** ikiru - **IMDb ID:** tt0044741 - **TMDB ID:** 3782 - **Wikidata ID:** Q152105 - **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0044741/, https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/3782, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q152105 **Fi1m score: 92** · Critics 87 from 9 reviews *In a sentence:* A dying man tries to get something done, which is awkward for everyone who works with him > Akira Kurosawa’s drama about a dying civil servant is worth anyone’s evening. Takashi Shimura makes the fear of wasted time painfully ordinary, even when the satire keeps explaining what we have already understood. ## Synopsis Kanji Watanabe (Takashi Shimura) is a Tokyo civil servant whose life is organised around his job. Faced with terminal cancer, he begins to question what that life has amounted to and what he can do with the time remaining. His search for a purpose takes place among the routines of bureaucracy and the people around him, including his son Mitsuo (Nobuo Kaneko) and Toyo (Miki Odagiri). Akira Kurosawa directs this drama about a man confronting death and trying to find a reason to change how he lives. ## Review *Ikiru* asks what a man can do when the chance to begin again arrives almost too late. Kanji Watanabe, a Tokyo civil servant played by Takashi Shimura, has terminal cancer and little confidence that his life has amounted to much. Akira Kurosawa gives his search for a purpose the seriousness it deserves, without making everyone else solemn on his behalf. We would recommend it to almost anyone. There is more comedy here than the subject might suggest. Shimura is the reason we stay with it. He gives Watanabe a hesitancy that makes the search uncomfortable to watch: this is someone who has to learn how to want something. We were moved more than we expected by the uncertainty on his face, and by how little he tries to disguise it. The performance never asks us to admire him simply for being ill. That awkwardness stops the character becoming an example of how the rest of us ought to behave. Asakazu Nakai’s cinematography gives Shimura’s expressions room to register; the framing does not compete with him for our attention. Takashi Matsuyama’s production design makes the working environment feel established enough to go on indefinitely, with or without this particular employee. That helps the satire, because the bureaucracy needs to look ordinary before its indifference can become frightening. The film understands the comfort of a job in which carrying on as before can pass for doing what is required. Fumio Hayasaka’s music is sympathetic without making Watanabe’s fear seem grander than it is. The score supplies warmth around a performance that remains guarded, and it never feels like a substitute for what Shimura is doing. Kurosawa also edits, allowing hesitation to occupy time that a brisker drama might fill with explanations. At 143 minutes, this is a substantial demand on a small story. For most of that time, Watanabe’s uncertainty is enough to keep the measured pace from becoming a drag. The writing is less restrained. Kurosawa, Shinobu Hashimoto and Hideo Oguni are sharp about the ease with which a civil servant can mistake following procedure for doing a useful job. But they return to the complaint after it has registered. Some supporting figures feel too neatly arranged to prove the point, and the satire occasionally tells us what to think before anyone has had a chance to surprise us. These are the stretches where the film feels long, because the behaviour has become predictable. Dramas about terminal illness often make their subjects wiser at a suspicious speed. Kurosawa allows Watanabe to be embarrassing, uncertain and occasionally funny as he looks for something worth doing. Other people still have their own business to attend to, even when Watanabe’s need feels urgent. His fear matters, but the film does not assume that it will automatically make him the centre of everybody else’s day. We will leave the later course of Watanabe’s search alone. There is no need to arrive already interested in bureaucracy, or eager for a lesson about appreciating life. Shimura is company enough, even for an evening when the subject sounds forbidding. Give the film the time it asks for, rather than fitting it between other things. *Fi1m score 92, published 15 September 2026.* ## What the critics say The reviews are uniformly positive, with praise centred on Takashi Shimura’s performance and Kurosawa’s handling of a civil servant confronting his mortality. Critics repeatedly describe Shimura’s acting as subtle and moving, conveying inner change without making the character an object of pity. They also value the combination of bureaucratic satire, black humour and compassion, finding that the film’s concern with useful action gives its emotional force a firm social grounding. The careful pacing and construction receive consistent approval. The differences concern the strength of enthusiasm rather than substantive objections; these accounts offer no recurring reservation. Variety gives a more measured appraisal, praising the dramatic momentum, technical work and score while noting the avoidance of mawkishness. Eye for Film is more emphatic, stressing the assured direction and telling images. Across that spread, critics agree that the film earns its emotion without descending into sentimentality. ## Straight answers **Is Ikiru worth watching?** *Ikiru* is worth watching for almost anyone, and we scored it 92. Takashi Shimura plays a dying Tokyo civil servant who has to learn how to want something, and there is more comedy in his search than the subject suggests. The satire of bureaucracy repeats itself, so the 143 minutes feel long in places; give it the evening rather than fitting it between other things. **How long is Ikiru, and what is it rated?** *Ikiru* runs 2h 23m and is rated NR by the MPA in the US. It is a drama film. **Where can I watch Ikiru in the US?** *Ikiru* is streaming on HBO Max and Hulu in the US, and it is also available to rent from Apple TV from $3.99. It leaves HBO Max on 30 September. Availability is checked daily; the links above go straight to each service. **How does Ikiru compare to Umberto D.?** *Ikiru* and [*Umberto D.*](https://film.one/film/umberto-d) both give patient attention to an older man the people around him overlook, and both rest on one lead performance. Kurosawa's film is the more comic and the more satirical, taking aim at office life; De Sica's is the plainer and more painful, about a man trying to keep his home. We rate *Ikiru* slightly higher, though *Umberto D.* is the better choice if you want the sparer film. **What should I watch after Ikiru?** After *Ikiru*, try [*Wild Strawberries*](https://film.one/film/wild-strawberries) (1957, Fi1m 88): Another ageing man takes stock, with less bureaucracy and more troubling memories. Then [*Umberto D.*](https://film.one/film/umberto-d) (1952, Fi1m 91): For the same patient attention to an older man others overlook; and [*The Straight Story*](https://film.one/film/the-straight-story) (1999, Fi1m 88): An old man’s modest journey earns its feeling without much fuss. ### Reviews we read (10) - **Empire**, David Parkinson (90/100, inferred): The critic calls Ikiru an absolute good and one of those deceptively simple stories that belongs high on the list of films everyone should see. Kurosawa's mastery ensures the dying bureaucrat never becomes an object of pity, resulting in a meticulously constructed, beautifully played and poignant film. [Read](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/ikiru-review/) - **Evening Standard**, Derek Malcom (90/100, inferred): The critic declares Ikiru (Living) the one that betters even Kurosawa's other classics like Seven Samurai. It movingly tells of a dying civil servant who uses his skills to create a children's playground, with a magnificent sequence that renews belief in man's capabilities. [Read](https://www.standard.co.uk/showbiz/living-7224461.html) - **RogerEbert.com**, Seongyong Cho (90/100, inferred): The critic highlights the film's effective mix of biting satire on bureaucracy with genuine pathos and black humor, crediting Takashi Shimura's subtle performance for conveying the protagonist's inner transformation. [Read](https://www.rogerebert.com/far-flung-correspondents/on-the-sustained-emotional-strength-of-akira-kurosawas-ikiru) - **Slant Magazine** (90/100, inferred): Ikiru is a profound existential and political achievement, a spike to the heart that depicts moral anguish and the necessity of action in the face of death. The critics single out the moving final image of Watanabe on the swing and the film's critique of postwar bureaucracy alongside its celebration of communal good. [Read](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/ikiru-akira-kurosawa-1952/) - **The AV Club**, Nick Schager (90/100, inferred): Kurosawa's most assured and affecting film follows a Tokyo bureaucrat confronting his mortality and seeking purpose in his final months. The critic praises the empathetic portrayal of rebirth through Watanabe's dedication to building a children's park and Shimura's plaintive performance. [Read](https://www.avclub.com/one-of-kurosawa-s-greatest-films-features-zero-samurai-1798265186) - **The New York Times** (85/100, inferred): The review celebrates the restored print of the 1952 classic as a profound portrait of postwar bureaucracy and humanism, emphasizing the radiance of the lead performance and the film's subtle exploration of finding purpose in the face of death. [Read](https://www.nytimes.com/2003/01/05/movies/film-kurosawa-s-quiet-tragic-bureaucrat.html) - **Los Angeles Times**, Mark Chalon Smith (80/100, inferred): The critic calls it a Kurosawa masterpiece of self-discovery set in postwar Japan, praising the director's energetic storytelling and ability to deliver pure emotion without descending into sentimentality. [Read](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1992-10-13-ca-28-story.html) - **Variety**, Variety Staff (70/100, inferred): The review describes the film as a compassionate work in which Kurosawa maintains dramatic momentum while avoiding mawkishness, noting its technical excellence and effective score. [Read](https://variety.com/1951/film/reviews/ikiru-1200417247/) - **The Guardian**, Philip French: An established masterpiece made between Rashomon and Seven Samurai. The central performance by Takashi Shimura is magnificent and the narrative carefully paced, with an overwhelming final effect recalling the Russian writers Kurosawa admired. [Read](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2008/jul/20/worldcinema.drama1) - **Eye for Film**, Jeff Robson (5/5): The critic praises Kurosawa's subtle, heartfelt portrayal of a lonely civil servant who, facing terminal cancer, finds purpose by building a playground for children. Direction is singled out as stately and assured with a keen eye for telling images, making it a universal classic. [Read](http://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/ikiru-film-review-by-jeff-robson) ## Details - **Director:** Akira Kurosawa - **Director:** Akira Kurosawa - **Screenplay:** Akira Kurosawa, Shinobu Hashimoto, Hideo Oguni - **Cinematography:** Asakazu Nakai - **Editor:** Akira Kurosawa - **Music:** Fumio Hayasaka - **Production design:** Takashi Matsuyama - **Producer:** Sōjirō Motoki - **Cast:** Takashi Shimura as Kanji Watanabe; Haruo Tanaka as Sakai; Nobuo Kaneko as Mitsuo, son of Kanji; Bokuzen Hidari as Ohara; Miki Odagiri as Toyo; Shinichi Himori as Kimura; Minoru Chiaki as Noguchi; Minosuke Yamada as Subordinate Clerk Saito - **Runtime:** 2h 23m - **Certificate (MPA):** NR - **Release (the US):** 25 March 1956 - **Genres:** Drama - **Budget:** $85,000 - **Box office:** $55,240 ## Where to watch in the US - HBO Max: streaming, leaving 2026-09-30 - Hulu: add-on, hd - Apple TV: rent $3.99, hd - Apple TV: buy $14.99, hd *Checked 2026-09-15.* Also available in: GB, US. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country. ## If you liked this - *Wild Strawberries* (1957), Fi1m 88: Another ageing man takes stock, with less bureaucracy and more troubling memories — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/wild-strawberries.md) - *Umberto D.* (1952), Fi1m 91: For the same patient attention to an older man others overlook — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/umberto-d.md) - *The Straight Story* (1999), Fi1m 88: An old man’s modest journey earns its feeling without much fuss — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/the-straight-story.md) - *Poetry* (2010), Fi1m 87: An older woman’s search for beauty becomes a difficult reckoning with responsibility — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/poetry.md) - *The Lunchbox* (2013), Fi1m 75: Workday routines give way to unexpected feeling, with loneliness treated without condescension — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/the-lunchbox.md) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/film/ikiru