An Akira Kurosawa film noir classic, High and Low is a story of self-made shoe factory executive Kingo Gondo (Toshiro Mifune) trying to keep control of his company. His fellow board members try to take over the company by forcing Gondo out. While trying to prevent being pushed out of his position, someone mistakenly kidnaps his servant’s son. The kidnapper realizes his mistake and demands the ransom anyway. This puts Gondo into a horrible situation, deciding to save his shoe company or pay the ransom for his servant’s son. The first half of the movie is devoted to Gondo’s internal battle with his conscience and his desire for self-preservation. The second half of the movie focuses on the aftermath of Gondo’s choice.
Kurosawa uses this film to take a hard look at the disparity of the rich and poor of post-World War II. He does this by juxtaposing the immaculate house of Gondo with the unclean underbelly of the city below. Kurosawa does this with mastery of the direction of the wonderful cast and beautiful camera work. Toshiro Mifune is at his best in this film and takes the reigns and keeps the audience in a trance with his portrayal of Kingo Gondo.
If you are not into Samurai films but have always wanted to see what Akira Kurosawa is all about, I would recommend you watch this excellent movie. ~ Will McLain
