Dokufu Takahashi Oden

This period melodrama portrays the descent of a basically caring person into a heartless, money-obsessed killer. The plot-heavy narrative is held together by Kazuko Wakasugi's passionate commitment to putting emotional flesh on the title character's bones. She went on to play the even more tragic Iwa in 'Tokaido Yotsuya kaidan'.

Director Nakagawa keeps things moving at a brisk enough pace to gloss over the story's improbabilities. Continuing to experiment with his visuals, he includes an unusually large number of high-angle shots, suggesting the powerlessness of the main characters.

Although not one of the director's best films, 'Dokufu' is still an above-average entry in its genre.