Review of High and Low (1933) by Megan T — 22 Nov 2010
In one word, Fantastic.
In several more, High and Low, or Heaven and Hell or whatever you want to call it, is a tightly constructed, masterfully made film from Kurosawa, one of cinema's very best directors. The title corresponds to the film's two halves (a catch-22 ransom situation and a police procedural), which are distinct yet form two halves of a hell of an impressive whole. As usual, Kurosawa takes the material of the genre much, much further than most storytellers, and the result is a movie that still feels more original fifty years later than newer, much less ambitious work.
It's easy to tear apart bad and awful films, but much harder to praise in minute detail incredible films that have the power to deeply affect you. A fair number of Kurosawa's films do that for me, as they exploit the tools of the medium to its fullest effect for a thrilling, moving experience that defies words. One sequence in particular, the Junkie Alley scene (did Spike borrow a little bit from it for Jungle Fever?) is incredibly sad, moving, and yet Kurosawa doesn't give in to sentimentality and keeps his plot on track regardless. To evoke such a feeling from the material rather than arrange the material to evoke the feeling, and to do it well, is what Kurosawa excels at, and one reason among many that amongst the venerated giants of filmmaking, he really was the real deal.
Yet still, I find myself hard pressed to describe this film at length, so I'll end the review as I began. Fantastic.
This review of High and Low (1933) was written by Megan T on 22 Nov 2010.
High and Low has generally received positive reviews.
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