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High And Low Details

1963 Certificate 12
  • Rated:
  • 70
  • from 1244 members

Based on KING'S RANSOM, a crime novel by Ed McBain, HIGH AND LOW stars Toshiro Mifune as Kingo Gondo, a wealthy, hardworking businessman. As Gondo plans a coup that will secure his position as the head of his Yokohama shoe company, he is contacted by a criminal who informs him that he's kidnapped his son. The crook demands a .. Read more

Starring Tatsuya Nakadai, Toshiro Mifune, Kyoko Kagawa
Director Akira Kurosawa
Genres Thriller, World Cinema

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High And Low cover art

High And Low

Based on KING'S RANSOM, a crime novel by Ed McBain, HIGH AND LOW stars Toshiro Mifune as Kingo Gondo, a wealthy, hardworking businessman. As Gondo plans a coup that will secure his position as the head of his Yokohama shoe company, he is contacted by a criminal who informs him that he's kidnapped his son. The crook demands a huge ransom for the boy's return--an amount that has taken Gondo 30 years of labour to amass. As the worried industrialist prepares to pay the ransom, he discovers that his son is safe at home--the kidnapper has mistakenly snatched his chauffeur's son. The question quickly becomes: Does Gondo abandon his plans to pay off the criminal, or does he do the honourable thing and help save his driver's child

Starring Tatsuya Nakadai, Toshiro Mifune, Kyoko Kagawa
Director Akira Kurosawa
Studio BFI VIDEO
Run time DVD: 2 hrs 23 mins
Certificate Certificate 12
Genres Thriller, World Cinema
Language DVD: Japanese
Subtitles DVD: English
Released DVD: 28 Mar 2005
Production year: 1963
Format DVD

  • Critics' reviews (6) of High And Low

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  • 3 stars out of 5

    Originally a hit play called Burlesque, this was filmed in 1929 as a tear-jerking backstage drama, The Dance of Life, with Nancy Carroll and Hal Skelly, and would surface again in 1948 as the musical When My Baby Smiles at Me with Betty Grable and Dan Dailey. Here, comedy is effectively mixed in to the drama about a newly married showbiz couple who come unstuck when he, a trumpeter, gets a job in a New York nightclub and is seduced by the singer (Dorothy Lamour). She divorces him, he disintegrates, she comes to the rescue… Mitchell Leisen directs in full command of the material, as are his stars.

    • Radio Times
    • Posted 29 Jan 2006

  • Adapted, unexpectedly, from one of Ed McBain's 87th Precinct novels (King's Ransom), this emerges as part thriller and... read more on Time Out

    • Time Out
    • Posted 04 Nov 2008

  • Most helpful member's review of High And Low

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  • 7 out of 8 people found this review helpful

    Rated - 5 stars

    Sublime and Masterful

    My parents awoke me when I was seven to watch the Seven Samurai on TV. I didn't make school the next day but I could think of nothing else for weeks. To this day it remains my favorite film for many reasons. I made a point of trying to see every film that Kurosawa has made and High and Low is no exception as to it's brilliance.

    The film starts slowly but with wonderful set pieces and enigmatic charcters grips you. Gondo is a major shareholder in a shoe company but his colleagues want to oust him. He decides to put everything on the line and mortgage his house to retain the majority shareholding and oust his fiesty colleagues. Just when things are going to plan his son is kidnapped and held for ransom. Although it isn't his son, it's his chauffeurs son. A dilemma ensues. What will he do.

    High and Low is an intelligent and beautiful film and one of Kurosawa's most clever. Kurosawa ultimately understood his art far more than almost any other filmmaker living or dead. He was truly the master. Wonderful sixties sets and great acting lead to a fantastic night in front of the tele.

    Watch this wearing your finest loafers.

      • Merlin from London
      • Posted 15 Feb 2006 18:47

  • Most recent members' review of High And Low

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  • 3 out of 3 people found this review helpful

    Rated - 4 stars

    Moral dilemmas and police work in a top thriller

    Really good setup, a millionaires chauffers son is kidnapped instead of his own son but the kidnapper still wants a massive ransom to be paid. Should the millionaire still pay the ransom even though it would bankrupt him and ruin his plans to takeover the company where he works. This is played out over 3 days with a police squad helping him while trying to remain hidden from the kidnapper who can see into the living room. Initially the policemen fail to shine but show more CSI skills when trying to hunt down the kidnapper in the second half of the film. This is a superb film, there is depth to the dilemma and the mood changes one way and then the other, the direction and acting are all excellent and the camera movement belies the staginess of the first half and some of the photography of the second half lights frames as if they were scenes from a manga comic. Recommended.

      • Saty from Reading
      • Posted 07 Apr 2005 12:22

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1,244 Member ratings
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300
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217
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173
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74
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40
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28
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33
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13

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      • Based on KING'S RANSOM, a crime novel by Ed McBain, HIGH AND LOW stars Toshiro Mifune as Kingo Gondo, a wealthy, hardworking businessman. As Gondo plans a coup that will secure his position as the ...