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I was on the edge of my seat! High and Low is among
the most suspenseful of Akira
Kurosawa's films, a look at the upper and
bottom tier of society and the struggles and conflicts
of those caught in a deadly web of their own self-created
nightmares. Another deviation from Kurosawa's
long portfolio of period pieces, High and
Low is set in the uneasy atmosphere of contemporary
big business, and stars Toshiro
Mifune as the dynamic Gondo, at first a slave
to his ambitions, and then a man trying to reclaim
his humanity. It is a story about a downtrodden
criminal named Ginjiro Takeuchi, mocked by his
own position in life, driven to madness. High
and Low is an all-too-often bleak look at
moral corruption on every rung of life's ladder.
Kingo Gondo of National Shoes was
a shrewd businessman, deeply devoted to his work
and always longing for the continued success of
his livelihood. Openly challenging his fellow
executives, Gondo knew that he had a key for success.
He would usurp control of the company through
his growing, secret, and expensive acquisition
of stock. In fact, Gondo had already raised 50
million yen by borrowing against all of his assets.
As he planned to send his loyal secretary Kawanishi
on a mission to Osaka one night, bent on securing
a majority of share with the massive sum of money,
a strange phone call suddenly arrived at Gondo's
house. The chilling voice on the other end of
the line claimed that he had absconded with Gondo's
son, Jun. Frantic to save his only son, Gondo
began to record the exacting specifications for
the payment of the 30 million yen ransom; when,
much to everyone's utter surprise, Jun was discovered
safe and sound. In fact, it was Jun's friend,
the son of Gondo's chauffer, who was accidentally
kidnapped. The cunning kidnapper called yet again,
and despite his error, he still demanded his ridiculous
ransom. Gondo was far less prone to give in this
time and became much more reckless in his actions.
He called the police, despite the threats against
the child's life.
The police arrived undercover,
and began to formulate methods to locate and capture
the kidnapper. As time progressed, it became increasingly
obvious that there was little that anyone could
do without Gondo's full cooperation. Though Gondo
continued to refuse paying the ransom, his wife
and son pled with him, as did his chauffer, bitterly
so. Finally, after an agonizing personal conflict
between his career and the safety of another human
life, Gondo relented, and he and the police followed
the kidnapper's instructions. The money was procured
from Gondo's bank account, and, per the agreement,
flung clear off the side of a bridge, from the
narrow opening in the window of a moving train.
Shinichi, the chauffeur’s son, was recovered
to safety... but the mastermind and his accomplices
sped away.
As public opinion swelled in Gondo's
favor for his selfless act, the police department
was frantic to uncover every shred of evidence
it could find. Detectives Tokura and Taguchi scrambled
to put together all the information and resources
they had at their disposal to locate the criminal
mastermind and retake the ransom, if only in honor
of Gondo's bold and selfless sacrifice...
To put it bluntly, this movie is
like Stray
Dog (1949) on caffeine. This is a gripping
and powerful crime-oriented drama, and it is easily
among Kurosawa's most amazing works. Dramatic
and unpredictable, there are so many twists and
turns, and though the majority of the tension
is confined to the first half of the movie, even
the mild anticlimax manages to capture the audience's
awe with dozens of subtle nuances and carefully
woven plot devices. It is a thematic masterpiece;
there are so many powerful messages about wealth,
poverty, greed, addiction, envy, and pride...
it is a twisted look at the modern world and the
need for people to regain their humanity and selflessness.
So, how do the actors fair with
the burden of carrying such a deep and thematic
plot? How well do they bring to life the character
traits of their respective characters? Toshiro
Mifune (Kingo Gondo) is the breakaway performance
of this movie, at least for the first half of
the film. His character's dynamic fall and ascent
to regaining his humanity is handled brilliantly,
and Mifune really brings home the tragic internal
conflict he continually experiences throughout
the ordeal. Gondo, at first, is a character to
be despised. His initial desire to save his son's
life and then his total 180-degree turnaround
when it is discovered that it is truly his chauffer's
son who is in peril, brings home the notion that
Gondo is a rather selfish character. However,
it is clear that he is not staunch in his position,
as he clearly wavers back and forth. Finally,
he succumbs, and as the movie draws to its climax
and resolution, he has become a hero in the plotscape.
Tsutomu Yamazaki (Ginjiro Takeuchi), I'd have
to say, is the second greatest performance of
the movie, even though his dialogue is confined
to the close of the film. His internal conflict
is clearly visible in his emotions, the mask of
unrepentant pride veiling a torment within. His
marvellous expressions, such as his arrogant stares
and egocentric behavior in the final confrontation,
followed by his sudden burst into tears, really
humanizes this very villainous role. Yutaka Sada
(Gondo's chauffer) brings an air of torn humility
to his performance. However, it is his emotions
which reflect a deep grief in his heartbreaking
role as the father of the kidnappee. His bargaining
with Mifune's character greatly helps to contrast
Mifune's initial character traits with those he
develops as the story progresses, and makes the
humble chauffer out to be very likeable in his
deep devotion and love for his only son. Kyoko
Kagawa (Gondo's wife, Reiko) brings a dimension
of concern to her role, which, again, helps to
contrast and define Mifune's character right away.
Her reasoning with Mifune's character is also
powerful, as it solidifies the fact that every
rational person around him has turned against
him for his selfish actions. As for the detectives,
Tatsuya
Nakadai (Chief Detective Tokura) is the central
figure. Nakadai gives his character a sense of
a clear direct concern and utmost priority for
the safety of the boy; but conversely, he also
portrays a level of empathy with Gondo's difficult
decisions regarding the situation. The same is
true, in all aspects save the initial empathy
with Gondo's conflict, with Kenjiro Ishiyama's
character (Chief Detective Toguchi). Both detectives
grow to admire Gondo for finally going through
with his difficult decision, and their characters'
tireless search for the criminal as they continue
to honor Gondo brings a great level of admiration
for their characters as well. Of the prominent
roles worthy of mention, there is also Tatsuya
Mihashi, Jun Tazaki, Nobuo Nakamura, and Yunosuke
Ito, each bringing a loathsome revulsion to their
business-oriented characters through their utter
callousness and lack of humanity in regards to
the grim situation. Tatsuya Mihashi's character
is likely the most detestable, as he is involved
directly with the situation, and only changes
his position after he double-crosses Gondo professionally.
The cinematography is pretty crisp
here, as the use of a wide variety of scenery
works to great effect, creating an excellent amount
of visual diversity in this film. The scene where
Sada's character drives his son along the prospective
path of the bandits is one such example, taking
into consideration all the views and angles along
the way. Near the conclusion of the film, the
dank, dilapidated, lower depths of Tokyo work
to create a vivid atmosphere as well, although
clearly in a far less appealing fashion. Kurosawa
yet again chooses a black and white medium for
this film, but I'm mentioning this (which I wouldn't
normally do) for a specific reason. He actually
adds some color amidst the black and white (something
that seems, to me at least, to be revolutionary
in cinema). To elaborate, time is spent early
in the movie developing the idea that if the briefcase
that holds the money is burned; a chemical inside
will release pink smoke into the atmosphere. Then,
at perhaps the time when it seems as though the
criminal is furthest from their grasp, Jun and
Shinichi notice the pink smoke from across town,
and the plot is able to shift into the final aspect
of the film: the analysis of the criminal mastermind.
The pink smoke rising from the smokestacks is
actually pink on film, and this addition
of color is clearly added to connote a milestone
in the movie.
While the visuals manage to be
a plus, the music is a mixed bag. The soundtrack
is primarily one of silence... which brilliantly
unnerves the audience and adds to the gripping
suspense. However, whenever there is a scene that
chalks up a victory for the "good guys",
a success theme plays that is far too distracting.
It doesn't flow well at all, but the existence
of any music whatsoever does mildly alleviate
the stress of the previous scenes. Other than
that, there really isn't much of anything left
in the soundtrack. The relative lack of music
all around does add to the unnerving realism;
however, the success theme really should have
been downplayed a little.
One of Kurosawa's greatest triumphs
of the 1960's, the heavy drama of High and
Low is certainly a great in Japanese cinema,
and cinema as a whole. Packed with suspense and
an endearing look into the hearts of people coming
to terms with the struggles of the modern world,
High and Low makes for a fantastic viewing
experience, and it leaves a lasting, thought-provoking
impression on the viewer. It is truly a cinematic
treat, and surely worthy of purchase.
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(4.5/5)