Might be Mifune's best performance. This is my personal favorite Kurosawa.

"...fascinating in the way it is structured into three acts, each of which shifts focus to a different character and creates a unique form of tension and suspense."

My goodness, this is one of the best thrillers ever! I never knew Kurosawa had this in him.

Essentially two films in one. First you have Mifune as the executive dealing with the kidnapping ransom then Nakadai attempting to apprehend the kidnapper. Both have their own distinct pacing and style that perfectly reflect the story they tell. The overnight ransom story is fast paced while the prolonged investigation is much slower. Brilliant film making and social examination.

Works brilliantly as a psychological cat-and-mouse game, but when it switches to police procedural it loses me. Forsaking its main character robs the film of its main point of tension, so that the manhunt is nothing more than a dry, detached-feeling procedural, with nothing like the first act's tautness. The final scene's commentary-heavy revelation is tacked on and silly, but Mifune and especially Tamazaki sell it. Impeccably shot, beautiful and interesting use of the ample horizontal space.

Beautiful, albeit boring as fuck.

Kurosawa makes this film so much more than its fairly straightforward kidnapping plot suggests: the carefully framed scenes in Gondo's house contrasting with the more frenetic and close-up scenes in the kidnapper's apartment; the wonderful build of suspense in the film's first half; and the use of reflections in the stunning and unexpected conversation that abruptly concludes the film. The film reminds us not to forget our common humanity, even as certain actions separate one from another.

soooooooo cool. some of the most impressive cinematography from kurosawa's entire career and that's saying a lot. that shot with the glasses... brr, gives me chills just thinking of it.

#325

Deceptively toned down thriller from Kurosawa that almost imperceptively builds steam and proceeds to pummel forward with frightening intensity, married to the precision and subtlety that is to be expected of a master. And while the central metaphor is a simple one, that doesn't diminish its validity. High and Low is Kurosawas best contemporary movie and everything in it is made exclusively of 24 carat awesome.

Many of these "catch the crook" films are structured such that when they finally catch the guy it's a great moment of triumph. High and Low is kind of like that, but the triumph has a bitter aftertaste, and you won't be left feeling particularly satisfied. As awesome as Seven Samurai, Rashomon, Yojimbo, etc. are, I really feel like Kurosawa is at his best when he works in contemporary settings. The way he films the city is second to none.

A great premise with knockout execution. Mifune shines as a businessman faced with an incredibly difficult choice, and the procedural second-half gives the film an intriguing turn leading to a satisfying showdown in the conclusion. A tense and fascinating film demonstrating Kurosawa's strong noir sensibilities.

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Rashomon, Seven Samurai, Ikiru, you might have heard of from Kurosawa. You may not have heard of this, but you should. Terrific movie that will keep you enthralled from the get-go. Go in blind.

Purely phenomenal, demonstrating every bit of Kurosawa's vaunted mastery of the filmmaking form. The potency of the film--the intensity of the emotions, the shifts of the plot that never feel manipulative, the quietly inspired accumulation of details--is completely disarming. Kurosawa is so well known for his samurai epics that it sometimes gets lost that he had the capability to tell any story dazzling well with a camera.

Kurosawa is well known for making extravagant samurai films but this minimalistic police story is one of his best. The moralistic themes are intriguing, the detective parts are tense and the whole story, screenplay and directing is all excellent. This also contains some of the best acting I've seen from Mifune.