High and Low [VHS]

Not one of Akira Kurosawa's best; perhaps most copied.
All the excellent details and workings of this film are explained in the other reviews here, and very beautifully at that. Trouble with this film is that it is clearly not one of Kurosawa's finest of all the oeuvre d'art he has given us. Kurosawa's wife once complained of how miserable life was with him at home when he wasn't working. This 1962 film shows the possibility that Kurosawa made it in order to escape ennui and his wife's wrath. Its opening scenes are certainly super-Oscar-worthy, with the tension of the expectant Gondo-san hovering near the telephone, awaiting the kidnapper's next call. And the smooth, perfectly acted relationship between all the characters who come to be ivolved is Kurosawa at his best. He follows with Hitchcockian shots and brilliant angles on Tokyo's Bullet train... I have no doubt Hitchcock envied those scenes. From the train, Gondo-san is to throw the two briefcases containing the ransom money. The police, with Gondo-san's help, have planted pink smoke bombs in the cases in the event the kidnapper attempts to burn them later... which he does, and in the midst of Kurosawa's usual black-and-white splendor rises deep pink smoke from one of Tokyo's garbage dump furnaces. Spielberg was so captivated by that scene he used it to great effect in "Schindler's List". And this brings us to the film being Kurosawa's most inspiring. Everything from "Dragnet" [following the brilliant cops as they dredge through evidence] to "Gone Baby Gone" [a horribly loused-up kidnapping scheme] seems to take from this film. A creepy shot with the kidnapper wearing his trademark sunglasses at night was scene copied in "Sin City" by Elijah Woods' character Kevin the psychopath. The trouble is that nearly a quarter of "High and Low" seems senseless, random filming in the busy night-time streets Of Tokyo. It seemed refreshing at first, but to drag it out as Kurosawa did seems totally pointless, and it is this nonsense that made the film go well over two hours' running time. The end is also so silly that it could not fail to be copied in every film with a prison-visit scene. Why does Gondo-san waste time visitng and listening to the ranting kidnapper in jail? What exactly is the kidnapper on, what is he all about? The trite answer of prosperity-versus-poverty is sickeningly thin. Kurosawa knew how to end films with a bang... and here he utterly fails. I can only say that I too was deeply moved by Mifune's deep, beautiful performance. I've never seen him act so well, great acgtor that he was, and I've seen almost everything he's ever done. In this film, he reminded me, for the first time, of my own father who was an auto mechanic/engineer, and my uncle, who was a cobbler/leathersmith. And by the way, it is true that in the old days cobblers were competent leathersmiths who made everything. The scene with Gondo-san re-working the Mexican-style briefcases reminded me of my uncle, who made belts and holsters for the Chicago PD for decades. See this film, own it as it is rarely mentioned in Kurosawa's best and for good reason, but buy it anyway. The tension, the modernity which gave birth to American crime-themed television, the too-few iconic shots that have been copied ever since... it's all worth it. Just recall, this is N O T one of Kurosawa's strongest moments. For that, see ''Kagemusha'' or ''Dersu Uzala''.

Not a single low here; this one ranks very high with me...
I can't say that I am familiar with the work of famed Japanese director Akira Kurosawa because, quite frankly, I'm not. In fact, this is the very first film I've seen from his hand, and while I have made the statement before that I am not the usual samurai fan, I must admit that I am intrigued with what this man can do and am quite interested in seeking out some of his other material. No, this is not a samurai film (far from it) but judging from his control over his source material regardless of genre, I'd love to see what he can do with the genre for which he became so widely adored. So this film is really right up my ally. I love those dark, morally conflicting films that play heavy on the audience to evaluate their own actions. `Tengoku to Jigoku' is just that type of film. There are no easy answers here; even if one may want to draw theirs immediately. It is a true morale play between classes of people, but more importantly between our inner struggle for survival. How would you react? The film tells of a wealthy industrialist, Kingo Gondo, who has just set plans in motion to take over a successful shoe manufacturing company. Before he can play his cards though, he receives some devastating news. His son has just been kidnapped. The man on the other end asks for a sum of money that would wipe out Kingo financially, but it's his son and so there is no hesitation. Then in walks Kingo's boy and things change. It is brought to his attention that not his son, but the son of his chauffer has been kidnapped. The kidnapper still wants the money. What follows next is a rather in-depth study of our own conflicting emotions. Are we willing to lend a helping hand to others when it means our own ruin? Sure, when our own children or loved ones are at stake then the answer is easy. I would gladly give my life for my daughter or even for the children of my close friends and I know it goes both ways; but would I risk my future for a business partner if he really needed me too? Sure, this man has worked for Kingo for some time, but that's all it is; work. Sometimes doing the right thing is not the first thing we want to do. Sometimes the right things are very conditional. Kurosawa develops this film gloriously with the right amount of edge and ambiguity. The audience is kept on edge as the whole story unfolds, and the way he has mounted the kidnapping brilliantly keeps us guessing as to who is actually behind it. The clues are everywhere, even if we keep picking up on the wrong ones, so the audience is left constantly double guessing themselves. The acting is all stellar, especially from Toshiro Mifune. I can't think of a single fault here, except that maybe the film ended and I really wanted it to keep going. This is a nice look at the downside to wealth; how it can corrupt and essentially make us a target.

An Average Movie Propped Up By Mass Disillusionment
Akira Kurosawa (aka: "AK", the "lesser Kurosawa", etc.) has one of those overblown reputations that earns praise from everyone who can't think for themselves. If the word "overrated" was assigned a picture reference in a dictionary, a portrait of "AK" would probably be the best choice. If the word "lemming" was assigned a synonym in a thesaurus, the term "AK follower" would fit the bill nicely. It's no understatement to say that the sheer level of brainless veneration that's repeatedly thrown at this guy hasn't been seen since the advent of organized religion - especially when one considers the fact that most of his movies suck, yet are somehow able to earn IMDb average ratings over 8.0. These people need to stop beating around the bush and simply construct cathedrals in his honor for daily worship. With "High and Low", AK tried and failed to create a mainstream dramatic detective thriller with some exposition on class divisions. If I want the former, I'll watch "Memories of Murder" (2003). If I want the latter, I'll watch "Gemini" (1999). These films came to my mind while watching this AK entry, and provide a nice contrast between fine and poor filmmaking. For example, "High and Low" lacks the character development and entertainment value that Bong Joon-ho established in "Memories of Murder", which included a great chase sequence and an amazing tapering of characters (the loose cannon cop and the empirical detective have their personas expertly blended together near the end). "High and Low" also failed miserably at showcasing the effective juxtaposition between classes that Shinya Tsukamoto so capably portrayed in "Gemini." The smug rich doctor is forced to live in comparable conditions to that of his nemesis to the point where their true merit and worth are brilliantly juxtaposed. "High and Low" fails to achieve the commercial and/or artistic value of the aforementioned films because - to be frank - both the script and direction are hopelessly incompetent. I've seen 10 AK films thusfar (oh, the horror!), and if I can hang my hat on one criticism, it's that AK is frequently hopeless at directing actors (see "Ikiru" for overwhelming evidence of his ineptitude). It's no surprise then that the acting in "High and Low" is hit or miss. Mifune is acceptable for certain roles, but he reminds me of David Caruso here with his desire to make every single line of dialogue a dramatic set piece. Does every one of his sentences really need to be punctuated with a forced crescendo? The unintended effect is that his delivery feels artificial - not unlike most of the actors in AK's films. And seriously, that "dope alley" scene was just awful. In vintage AK fashion, "High and Low" loses all of its momentum by its midpoint and then proceeds to drag itself into the ground. The detective investigations during the latter half are about as dry and predictable as it gets. If that weren't bad enough, key clues are conveniently overlooked for the sole purpose of extending running time. We get detectives who are able to hear a coin drop on the other end of a phone call, yet completely disregard the loud ramblings of a trolley on another phone call because - well - AK simply MUST ensure that his film lasts 140 minutes. Forty minutes of dull police proceduring later, the detective cleans the wax out of his ears and - you guessed it - hears the trolley at AK's convenience, but at the point where my attentiveness had been all but scraped away by mediocre filler material. Oh, and I'd like to personally thank AK for choosing to torture me with one of most boring police/suspect tail sequences in motion picture history. If that weren't bad enough, some of the scoring sucks too. Just listen to that loud horn music when the abducted kid is recovered by the train tracks. The "uber-horn" makes at least six more unwelcomed entrances afterward. Remember the angry trumpet in "American Ninja?" It's just as bad, and just as intrusive. For the life of me I'll never understand why everyone on planet earth loves AK so much as a director. It's analogous to being the only atheist in a town full of Catholics. Sure, I can try to ignore those pesky holy rollers, but there's no way I can have a nice breakfast at a local diner without hearing them go on and on about Pope "Eggs" Benedict. In like manner, I can't escape the tide of unwarranted praise for AK on the internet because the brown-nosing is so extreme and so pronounced that it just grinds on my nerves because these same reviewers will (in the very same breath, no less) trash the latest action film for having "poor acting" or a "subpar script." Talk about the pot calling the kettle black! At least I have enough brain cells to understand that dramas should be based on dramatic elements while action films should be based on - oh, I don't know - *action* elements. Okay fine. I admit that I wouldn't necessarily classify AK as a no-talent assclown (he did direct "Seven Samurai", "Yojimbo", and "Sanjuro"), but to be honest - he's really just a mediocre filmmaker who is dangerously close to being a poor director with a few good flukes under his belt. Sure, I've only seen 10 of his movies, but do you really expect me to continue my masochistic adventure after witnessing a preliminary 30% success rate? I've still got some Ozu and Naruse films that I gotta see, and I'd rather place my time and money in artists with an 80% success rate. At least Yasujiro and Mikio know how to direct actors properly.

Kurosawa does not make a wrong move!
A masterpiece of the human condition. Kurosawa can help the audience empathize with anyone no matter how low or high.

Kurosawa - Master of Every Film Genre
Akira Kurosawa created a canon of films that continue to influence movie-makers around the world. I have only seen about a dozen of them, but they are all masterpieces. High and Low is an English translation of Tengoku to jigoku, which is more literally translated "Heaven and Hell". I've seen other reviews (some giving away too many spoilers, IMHO) mentioning the adaptation from "King's Ransom", an 87th Precinct police procedural by Evan Hunter - written under pseudonym Ed McBain. I've also seen others mention a little of the structure of the movie - essentially two acts first set in the home of Kingo Gondo (played by perhaps the greatest of Japanese actors Toshiro Mifune)and the second act a police procedural aimed at tracking down a kidnapper. I want to point out to the gentle reader that Kurosawa's structure is much more complex than that. The master director forces a change in point of view almost every fifteen minutes. In the opening moments we are introduced to Mr. Gondo, who is a shoe executive and has built his company up to a thing of pride and wealth. But Gondo is opposed by other executives at his company who point out that more money can be made if they don't work so hard at making QUALITY shoes. Gondo won't hear of it and with a little premature hubris informs the other executives that he is about to buy a majority of the company's shares and he will run the business as he always has, with an emphasis on producing good shoes. During this portion of the film I gained more than a little respect for Gondo, who wants to be known more for the quality of his work than for wealth. Immediately after this scene Gondo receives a phone call informing him that his son has been kidnapped and is being ransomed. The ransom will use up all the money he has put aside to buy the shares in his company. If he does not follow through and buy the majority share in his company, you know that the other vindictive executives will kick him to the curb. Complicating things even further - we find that the kidnapper mistakenly did not take Gondo's son, but instead took the son of Gondo's chauffeur. Now Gondo is faced with a triple heart-breaking decision. As a man of honor he wants to help the chauffeur's family. But if he does, he will be financially ruined. The center transitioning portion of the film deals with the complicated method used to trade the 30 million yen in cash for the boy, and I won't say here whether the boy is returned dead or alive or whether or not the kidnapper receives the money, but this part is as exciting as any modern thriller. The final part of the film is a taut, smart police procedural and we see the methodical steps used to track down the kidnapper, with many lovely human details such as the chauffeur going back to the scene of the crime in an attempt to play amateur detective and regain HIS honor (since Gondo gave away his fortune to ransom the chauffeur's son). Along the way we see smart detectives, desperate heroin addicts, and real and caring humans. Perhaps no other film director saw people for what we are better than Kurosawa. In Japanese with subtitles, so if you don't like to read or don't understand Japanese, keep on walking.