Review of High and Low (1933) by Nik B — 14 Nov 2009

Akira Kurosawa is associated with Samurai films a little too much, with the action extravaganza "Seven Samurai", the Macbeth-Kabuki Theatre fusion called "Throne Of Blood" and his Man-With-No-Name influencing duo of "Yojimbo" and "Sanjuro", it's not hard to see why this generalisation exists (Can't forget about "Kagemusha" and "Ran" made at the twilight of his career). But with his films, there was also a real compassion and sentiment which sometimes boiled over (see "Ikiru", a non-Samurai film), but when it didn't boil over, the results were particularly amazing.

After his "Yojimbo/Sanjuro" double bill, Akira Kurosawa took on an Ed McBain novel, and made a fantastic crime thriller and one of the best police procedurals you'll ever see (It's a personal favourite of the Coen Brothers): "High And Low" (The literal meaning is "Heaven And Hell", but let's not get too picky).

It starts off (and stays for practically the entire first third of the film) in a large house overlooking the Downtown area of Tokyo. The owner of the house is Kingo Gondo (In another wonderful charismatic-yet-restrained performance by Toshiro Mifune). Kingo has worked his way up through his shoe company (a big deal in social circles in Japan) to the point where he can move enough money around to become the leading shareholder (the other shareholders want him out of the company because he doesn't want to make poor quality shoes for high sales). But before his deal to takeover the company can go through, he gets a phonecall saying that his son has been kidnapped, and to pay the ransom would leave him financially ruined. But there's a twist: The kidnappers took his chauffeur's son instead, but the ransom remains the same. Will Kingo ruin himself financially to save the life of a child who isn't his?

The second half of the film involves the Police's attempts to find out who the kidnapper was. It's a nice shift from the claustrophobic living room of the first third, into the real world where the Police use all their manpower to figure out every single detail. The procedure is done in a meticulous style that is often missing from crime thrillers made today, as the Police Chief narrow down their targets until they believe they've found their man. But a simple kidnapping charge isn't enough, they want him to hang.

Kurosawa's camera manages to capture the spotless veneer of the businessman's appartment, and can contrast it with the dirty stench that permeates throughout the Downtown area of Tokyo, as the areas of "Heaven & Hell" are clearly delineated geographically. The performances are wonderful from everyone, particularly Toshiro Mifune and Tatsuya Nakadai as the Police Inspector. It's a fantastic crime drama that lets the plot unravel at its own pace, the Police slowly piecing together the criminal's every step before zeroing in on their man. The ending shows the chasm between Heaven & Hell, and Kurosawa informs that the only way to reach Heaven is to do things the honourable way.