Between the moral platitudes, typical plot concept and progression until the last 50 minutes that just unnecessarily establish the point of the first 90, Takashi Shimura‘s total of two expressions, and that Akira Kurosawa has many better films under his belt, my reaction towards To Live (Ikiru) is enough to leave even me curious. It’s a competent telling of a traditional story other than some black humor for personality, but it comes to nothing fresh or especially profound.