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High and Low

Movie
1963
2h 22m
Not Rated
Japanese
Drama, Crime, Thriller, Mystery
User Score: 
8.6
Critic Score: 
93
High and Low' Poster
A shoe company executive who has mortgaged everything he has becomes a victim of extortion when his chauffeur's son is kidnapped and is conflicted over whether he should pay the ransom.
High and Low Poster

High and Low

Not Rated
Movie
1963
2h 22m
Japanese
Drama, Crime, Thriller, Mystery
A shoe company executive who has mortgaged everything he has becomes a victim of extortion when his chauffeur's son is kidnapped and is conflicted over whether he should pay the ransom.
Rating
WATCHMODE
8.6
IMDB
High and Low (1963) on IMDb
CRITIC SCORE
93

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Toshir Mifune
Kingo Gondo
Tatsuya Nakadai
Chief Detective Tokura
Kyko Kagawa
Reiko Gondo
Tatsuya Mihashi
Kawanishi, Gondo's secretary
Isao Kimura
Detective Arai
Kenjir Ishiyama
Chief Detective 'Bos'n' Taguchi
Takeshi Kat
Detective Nakao
Takashi Shimura
Chief of Investigation Section
Jun Tazaki
Kamiya, National Shoes Publicity Di...
Nobuo Nakamura
Ishimaru, National Shoes Design Dep...
Ynosuke It
Baba - National Shoes Executive
Tsutomu Yamazaki
Ginjirô Takeuchi - Medical Intern
Minoru Chiaki
First Reporter
Eijir Tno
Factory Worker
Masao Shimizu
Prison Warden
Yutaka Sada
Aoki - the Chauffeur
Masahiko Shimazu
Shinichi Aoki
Toshio Egi
Jun Gondo
Kji Mitsui
Second Reporter
Ky Sazanka
First Creditor
Susumu Fujita
Chief of First Investigating Sectio...
Kamatari Fujiwara
Junkyard Cook
Yoshio Tsuchiya
Detective Murata
Kazuo Kitamura
Third Reporter
Gen Shimizu
Chief Physician
Directed By: Akira Kurosawa
Written By: Akira Kurosawa (Screenplay), Hideo Oguni (Screenplay), + 3 more

Featured Comments/Tips

miguelreina says...
one year ago
[Tivify] An extraordinary example of creating tension and suspense with minimal elements, especially in the masterful first part that takes place exclusively in Gondo's apartment. There are all the elements of Akira Kurosawa's cinema brought together in one of the most intense thrillers, with a description of Japan divided into impoverished classes that look up the top of the hill at the arrogant splendor of economic success. Splendid actors, an excellent script and a masterful sense of pacing serve to enrich the film.
Like  -  Dislike  -  Comment  -  000
AdamMorgan says...
8 months ago
I have to admit that I expected a bit more as this movie and director are held in high regards by so many famous movie critics. Don't get me wrong, there are some fascinating themes on display in the first half of the movie. But it just seemed rather odd that those themes seemed to be tossed aside in the second half for a rather pedestrian case about police work. The movie was at its best in Gondo's home. follow me at https://IHATEBadMovies.com or facebook IHATEBadMovies
Like  -  Dislike  -  Comment  -  000
juliosoft says...
12 months ago
Great film by Akira Kurosawa, everything is very good.
Like  -  Dislike  -  Comment  -  000
njgr says...
12 months ago
It's a well done thriller, but it's more than that with Kurosawa's compositions and the values being explored in the film between high and low class, tradition versus modernism/Westernism. The tension of the first half can seem faster than the latter portion where a police procedural takes the focus, but the same values and biases are at stake in both sections. Why the police make choices they do in the latter half are informed by the first, and lay bare their prejudices, as well as society's. The film's final minutes are chilling.
Like  -  Dislike  -  Comment  -  000

Featured User Reviews

CinemaSerf
9 months ago
I didn't take to this initially. The scenario reminded me a little of an episode of "Columbo" - a rather sterile, studio-set environment that came across as quite limiting. Once it gets going, though, it's one of the best crime thrillers I've seen in ages. It all centres around the kidnapping of a s More
Like  -  Dislike  -  Comment  -  000

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