Review of High and Low (1933) by G S — 29 Nov 2011

Astonishing and great; nearly as perfect as Kurosawa's Rashomon and Seven Samurai. I must admit I had high hopes for Yojimbo and Sanjuro, but I was sort of let down both times. They were both good movies but they weren't profound or psychologically thrilling, but High and Low exceeded all expectations I had.

This mammoth achievement has great acting, a flawless script (adapted from an Ed McBain novel), and superb direction from Kurosawa. Toshiro Mifune is awesome as Kingo Gondo (gotta love that name), a man troubled by business affairs and a pesky kidnapper who wants 30 million from him.

An excellent study of human morality and the extents to which we are value money. The film also feature a solid performance from Tatsuya Nakadai, a police officer trying to crack this case. The script is composed to such a high degree of perfection that it keeps you engaged from the beginning when Gondo says "So what do you want?" to the end which shows a very psychologically challenging and emotionally gripping scene.

Kurosawa executes the script brilliantly with his pacing and his depiction of the city in wide screen format. The film reminds me a lot of Stray Dog and how interesting the relationship between a cop and a criminal is.

This film tops Stray Dog though by a long shot. This is probably the best police procedural film I have seen. The entire movie is a thrill ride with a remarkable ending which is so genuine in it's exploration of human nature, desire, and social mentality that it is neither existential nor happy.

Definitely something I'll be coming back to again and again for years.