Day 24: High and Low (1963)

Akira Kurosawa’s “High and Low,” starring the “Criterion Summer” favorite Toshiro Mifune, is a gripping tale of suspense, which acts as half moral play and half police procedural drama. Captured in vivid black and white, the film’s color palate mimics the story’s attitude towards its characters and the choices they make- some clearly good, others definitely bad, and occasionally a few which fall into the gray. But ultimately, this is what the film embodies- the idea of choices and how one simple act of bad discernment can lead to unknown consequences.

In “High and Low,” wealthy executive Kingo Gondo (Mifune) has it all planned out. Though the board of National Shoes, the company he works for, seeks his power to help overthrow their current boss, Gondo has another card he plans to play. Unbeknownst to anyone, including his wife, Gondo has mortgaged everything he owns to raise 50 million yen- just enough to perform leveraged buyout of the company and gain its controlling interest.

With that, Gondo has finally done it- achieving the success he has desired since his impoverished youth, and, with only the money transfer left to send,  it seems a toast is necessary for his shrewd act of business sense. But fate has other plans. Before a cork is even popped, Gondo receives a call from a kidnapper claiming to have Gondo’s son Jun, who he will exchange for 30 million yen. Even though it will ruin his livelihood and force him out of his career, Gondo agrees to the exchange without a second thought just as Jun himself walks into the room! It seems the kidnappers have fowled up and taken Jun’s best friend, Shinichi, the son of Gondo’s chauffeur. With this turn of events, the question hangs over Gondo. Is his career and livelihood worth losing for the son of a chauffeur? Though the answer seems easy, it will be the hardest decision Gondo will ever have to make.

With “High and Low,” their is the feeling of two films connected by one purpose- capturing the kidnapper and bring little Shinichi to safety. In the first hour, we are given a domestic drama, which takes place almost exclusively in the living room of Gondo’s home. In fact, with it’s specific blocking and lack of camera editing, I wondered if this wasn’t an adaptation of a play, but soon, as the film entered it’s second half, we are taken out of the house and put on the streets with Chief Detective Tokura (Tatsuya Nakadai) as he hunts down the kidnapper. Completely unlike it’s first half, Tokura’s investigation is a patch-work of angled shots and flashbacks. Many have called Kurosawa the most “western” of Japanese filmmakers and this is where that ability shines. Reminiscent of such American police dramas as “Dragnet”, Kurosawa directs the police scenes with a very detailed level of procedural accuracy, which enhances the thrill of the scene opposed to bogging it down.

The film also brings up the distinctions between social classes in Japan primarily through the setting of its locations. While the poor English title is “High and Low,” the actual translation is more along the lines of “Heaven and Hell,” two distinct places holding very opposing social views. This concept is best captured by the contrasts of living between Gondo and the kidnapper. While Gondo lives literally in the house on the hill and finds comfort in his cool air conditioning during the summer months, the kidnapper lives in the hot slums of the city and makes use of its crack dens and bars. At one point, the kidnapper even admits to envying Gondo and his life on the hill while sweating in the heat at the bottom. As you can see, social relationships, both economical and geographical, act as a catalyst for the whole kidnapping and, eventually, Gondo’s misfortune.

Akira Kurosawa’s “High and Low,” is a tense journey that draws from the deep pangs of social class conflict to give us a kidnapping tale that is gripping from start to finish. It’s certainly a must see.

To learn more about “High and Low,” check out Criterion’s page here.

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