Blu-ray & 4K UHD release: ‘Stray Dog’
By Phil Mills | Mar 26, 2026
The Criterion Collection will release the 1949 Japanese crime drama ‘Stray Dog’ (野良犬) on US Blu-ray and 4K UHD on May 5, 2026.
Co-written and directed by Akira Kurosawa, the film revolves around a rookie homicide detective who sets out to track down his stolen Colt pistol. The cast includes Toshiro Mifune, Takashi Shimura, Keiko Awaji, Eiko Miyoshi, Noriko Honma, and Isao Kimura.
Synopsis: A bad day gets worse for young detective Murakami when a pickpocket steals his gun on a crowded bus. Desperate to right the wrong, he goes undercover, searching Tokyo’s sweltering streets for the stray dog whose desperation has led him to a life of crime. With each step, the lives of cop and criminal become more intertwined, and the investigation becomes an examination of Murakami’s own dark side.
Features:
- 4K digital restoration with uncompressed monaural audio
- 4K UHD disc of the film and Blu-ray with the film and special features
- Audio commentary by Stephen Prince
- ‘Akira Kurosawa: It Is Wonderful to Create’ – Stray Dog documentary
- Essay by Terrence Rafferty
- Excerpt from Akira Kurosawa’s ‘Something Like an Autobiography’
‘Stray Dog’ is available for pre-order now from Amazon.com.
