High and Low
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A Yokohama shoe executive faces a wrenching choice when kidnappers mistakenly seize his chauffeur’s son but demand the ransom anyway.
What critics thought
Now regarded as one of Kurosawa's finest achievements, High and Low earned near-universal admiration for its formal rigour — the blocking, lighting, camera work, and the famous train ransom sequence are consistently singled out — but contemporary reception was more fractured than retrospective esteem suggests. The central argument was whether the material deserved the art: many critics loved the craft while doubting the moral depth, and the film's bifurcated structure drew both fascination and outright dismissal at the same time.
“hackneyed, and at times implausible”
Time
“metaphysics and morality [...] taking precedence over suspense”
Cahiers du Cinéma
“the ultimate capitalist ... [who finds] it isn't at all clear if he thinks his compromised moral heroism and sacrifice has been worth it.”
Peter Bradshaw·The Guardian
“Macbeth, if Macbeth had married better.”
Paul Attanasio·The Washington Post
Genres
Crime, Drama, Mystery
Cast & Crew
DirectorAkira Kurosawa
StarringToshirō Mifune, Tatsuya Nakadai, Kyōko Kagawa, Tatsuya Mihashi, Isao Kimura
ComposerMasaru Satō
High and Low
A Yokohama shoe executive faces a wrenching choice when kidnappers mistakenly seize his chauffeur’s son but demand the ransom anyway.
What critics thought
Now regarded as one of Kurosawa's finest achievements, High and Low earned near-universal admiration for its formal rigour — the blocking, lighting, camera work, and the famous train ransom sequence are consistently singled out — but contemporary reception was more fractured than retrospective esteem suggests. The central argument was whether the material deserved the art: many critics loved the craft while doubting the moral depth, and the film's bifurcated structure drew both fascination and outright dismissal at the same time.
“hackneyed, and at times implausible”
Time
“metaphysics and morality [...] taking precedence over suspense”
Cahiers du Cinéma
“the ultimate capitalist ... [who finds] it isn't at all clear if he thinks his compromised moral heroism and sacrifice has been worth it.”
Peter Bradshaw·The Guardian
“Macbeth, if Macbeth had married better.”
Paul Attanasio·The Washington Post
Genres
Crime, Drama, Mystery
Cast & Crew
DirectorAkira Kurosawa
StarringToshirō Mifune, Tatsuya Nakadai, Kyōko Kagawa, Tatsuya Mihashi, Isao Kimura
ComposerMasaru Satō
Rent/Purchase