High and Low (1963)

1963 142 Minutes

An executive of a shoe company becomes a victim of extortion when his chauffeur's son is kidnapped and held for ransom.

Overall Rating

10 / 10

Verdict: Great

SceneItReviews
9 / 10
Akira Kurosawa returns to modern day with 'High and Low', providing a grounded take on the ransom story, whilst displaying his signature flair for calculated direction and palpable tension. The film exists in two different genres - both making full use of the writer director's talents. The first is a single room drama thriller, traipsing gently over themes of greed and morality. The second half of the film is a police procedural - rife with tense chase sequences, murder and elaborate schemes. At the end the two films seem to coincide, to paint the picture of a man oblivious to the irrelevance of his deals and big numbers to the average, suffering human being.

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