High and Low (1963)

High and Low (1963) — directed by Akira Kurosawa — opens as a high-stakes moral puzzle: Kingo Gondo, a wealthy executive who has mortgaged everything to seize control of his company, receives a ransom demand for a kidnapped child. When he learns the abducted boy is not his own son but his chauffeur’s, the choice becomes excruciating — pay and destroy his plans (and finances) or refuse and risk a child’s life. What follows is twofold: an intimate, character-driven drama about conscience, class and corporate ambition, and a cool, methodical police procedural led by Inspector Tokura as detectives hunt a clever, desperate kidnapper across the modern sprawl of Yokohama. The film interrogates responsibility and value — of money, power and human life — while slowly revealing surprising motives and social tensions. Viewers should expect a slow-burning but gripping experience: taut moral dilemmas, exacting investigative sequences, and striking black-and-white cinematography with wide cityscapes and carefully composed interiors. Toshiro Mifune’s restrained performance anchors the film’s emotional core, and Kurosawa’s direction balances suspense with social commentary. High and Low is both a compelling crime thriller and a humane meditation on class, honor and the cost of ambition.

Actors: Toshirô Mifune, Yutaka Sada, Tatsuya Nakadai

Director: Akira Kurosawa

Runtime: 143 min

Genres: Crime, Drama, Mystery

8.4 /10 90 /100 8.4 /10 8.6 /10