Cleveronix A different way of telling a story

FuzzyTagz If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

Chirphymium It's entirely possible that sending the audience out feeling lousy was intentional

Kien Navarro Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

Gresh854 WOW! This is my first time watching a Akira Kurosawa film and I've instantaneously converted into being a massive fan of his after witnessing this! High and Low plays out almost as if it was two different movies; the first half being an intense, claustrophobic thriller and the second half being a detailed crime investigation. The mystery and eminently realistic atmosphere surrounding the film's story-which is greatly achieved thanks to its extraordinarily written screenplay-is gruesomely gripping. High and Low is the original Chinatown/Se7en/Fargo/Blue Velvet/Prisoners. Imagine those movies all combined into a single package and you can essentially picture how brilliantly eccentric I found this film to be. (Verdict: A+)

elvircorhodzic HIGH AND LOW is a mysterious crime drama about an ambitious director of the company for the manufacture of footwear, who becomes the target of a madman. The film is loosely based on the 1959 novel "King's Ransom" by Ed McBain. This is a story about morality and character, in which the crime is reconstructed to the smallest detail.Mr Gondo is a wealthy industrialist who is contacted by a gang of kidnappers, who inform him that they've kidnapped his son. The crooks demand a huge ransom for the boy's return. However, They have, by mistake, kidnapped son of his driver. The moral and character of Mr. Gondo come into question...Mr. Kurosawa has put a huge moral dilemma for the main protagonist in this film. He has managed to show the two faces of a rich man, through an excellent direction, a constant questioning of character and a thorough investigation of the crime.The excellent topics is simply connected to each other. The story moves from a complex and anxious melodrama into a good detective thriller. The reconstruction of the crime is almost perfect, and Mr. Kurosawa takes us through frequent streets and remote locations. The scenery is a very good characterization is, as usual, almost perfect.Toshiro Mifune as Kingo Gondo is a man whose life plan has collapsed in one minute. He is forced to make difficult decisions. His moral and character nuances come to the fore in those moments. Mr. Mifune has offered a very convincing performance. Tatsuya Nakadai (Chief Detective Tokura) has almost managed to steal the show, as a capable, persistent and helpful detective. Kyōko Kagawa as Reiko Gondo is, above all, a mother and her performance corresponds to that fact. Tsutomu Yamazaki as Ginjirô Takeuchi is the main kidnapper. The envy and hatred are the drivers of his madness.This is a tense detective thriller and a good overview of film noir too.

WILLIAM FLANIGAN Viewed on DVD. Perhaps the best in the Kurosawa canon! A close to seamless cinema/home-video experience with suspense (the nail-biting kind), intrigue (the edge-of-your-seat kind), thrills (due to an excellent script with many NON-telegraphed twists and turns), terrorism, kidnapping, restrained but none-the-less powerful acting (mostly involving the director's acting troupe), etc. The black & white cinematography in ultra wide format (at least 2.35 to 1.0) is often startling with frames always fully utilized (side to side) by the Director. The music score underlines what is on the screen without drawing unnecessary attention to itself. There are many now classic cinema scenes. Those in the police station especially stand out. Every question you may have asked yourself while watching events unfold are methodically raised, explored, and addressed with reasoned discourse (by a cast of about 20 police officers and undercover investigators). Hitchcock Japanese Style And With A Vengeance! (You might want to watch it frequently with the subtitles off to expand your formal/informal Japanese comprehension.) WILLIAM FLANIGAN, PhD.

k_aguilar1337 My 6th Kurosawa film after Seven Samurai, Throne of Blood, Yojimbo, Ikiru, and Rashoman. High and Low is now my new favorite of the bunch. I loved the first 5 Kurosawa films I watched (with Seven Samurai and Ikiru being my top favorites), but now this takes the cake for being my new favorite Kurosawa film. With my favorite genre being crime thrillers, this one felt real special to me. Everything about it was just so brilliant and perfectly crafted, it blows my mind how Kurosawa had such an amazing consistency of the quality of his films, ranging from all genres. Kurosawa's main actor, Toshiro Mifune, absolutely killed it in this film, and only seeing in Samurai roles (Yojimbo, Seven Samurai) this was a pleasant surprise for me to see his acting range, because I've only seen him played samurai characters. I really felt for his character and the toll the main ransom took on him, his family, and his business. What I really loved about this film was the three episode structure in this film. The introduction with Mifune and the ransom, the second act with the detective work, and the final chase were all just great acts with incredible tension in each one. The dialogue in this movie was constantly engaging, elevated by fantastic performances by the whole cast. And the direction is nothing less than perfect by Kurosawa. Not as epic in scope compared to his Samurai films, but I loved seeing his expert framing of shots and staging of his characters in the city setting. The whole train sequence was done beautifully. What I also love in these Kurosawa films is the humor in these films, very witty and let's the audience relax especially because the films are so high of tension and drama. High and Low is now a new 10/10 in my list of films. Definitely check this film out if you love foreign cinema, crime thrillers, or just good cinema in general. I'm really excited to check out more of Kurosawa's non samurai work.