High and Low

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2 hr. 22 min.

Crime

Drama

List

96%

24 Reviews

Tomatometer

95%

5,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

Toshiro Mifune stars as a wealthy industrialist whose family becomes the target of a ruthless kidnapper in Akira Kurosawa's exemplary film noir. Based on Ed McBain's detective novel "King's Ransom," "High and Low" is both a riveting thriller and a brilliant commentary on contemporary Japanese society.

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ben j

Didn't expect this to instantly become one of my favorite movies of all time. It's almost overwhelmingly suspenseful and thrilling. I love both "halves" of the movie—the first 50 minutes of debating about what to do and answering calls from the aubductor, and the rest of the movie being the greatest police procedural I've ever seen as they track down the criminal. An otherwise basic story becomes infused with meaning about themes like duty, honor, existentialism, and most importantly the split between the "high" and "low" in society, whether that be class, status, moral nature, or how high one's house is, overlooking all the other ones "like it's laughing at them." Kurosawa is a master of his craft, everyone should see this.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/13/24

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S R

Interesting take on police work by Kurosawa. It transitioned from drama to police in a way that I didn't expect. Regardless, it entertained and showed a different aspect of Kurosawa that reminded me of Hitchcock at times. It was on HBO.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

08/19/23

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Paulami A

The legend, the master, Kurosawa san's 2hr 23m film kept us on our toes. We felt excited, eager and anxious every second.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

07/16/23

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Yash B

Among the films directed by Akira Kurosawa, "High and Low" is among the most entertaining. This is a very good crime thriller with an outstanding first half. I found myself so engaged with the beginning part of this movie that I felt like the second half just couldn't live up to it for me. I still think the whole story is good but something does happen that causes the focus of the movie to shift as it progresses. I think the movie tackles a lot of interesting topics outside of just being entertaining and think it is clear it influenced many other films that came after it. Overall, this is another film that showcases Kurosawa's versatility as a filmmaker and it just continues to make me wonder if there was anything he couldn't do.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

06/04/23

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WS2005 S

A great film and I can see some similarities with David Mamet's style who I would suspect was influenced by the great director, Kurosawa. Interesting to see the detectives' process and love how the characters develop in a very natural way. So glad to have watched it.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

05/15/23

Full Review

TheFilmReviewer 1

High and Low benefits from Akira Kurosawa's brilliant direction, but is ultimately held together by Toshiro Mifune's legendary performance, confidently establishing itself as one of the greatest police procedural dramas of all time, if not Kurosawa and Mifune's best collaboration.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/02/23

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Akira Kurosawa

Director

Toshiro Mifune

Kingo Gondo

Tatsuya Nakadai

Inspector Tokuro

Kyoko Kagawa

Reiko Gondo

Tatsuya Mihashi

Kawanishi

Yutaka Sada

Aoki

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A.O. Scott

New York Times

One of the best detective thrillers ever filmed.

Rated: 5/5

May 9, 2005

Full Review

Keith Phipps

AV Club

While not a masterpiece on par with Kurosawa's best work, High And Low is a fine example of his craft, and further proof that it's not a few masterpieces but the overall scope of a career that defines a great director.

Jun 13, 2002

Full Review

Paul Attanasio

Washington Post

High and Low illuminates its world with a wholeness and complexity you rarely see in film.

Jan 1, 2000

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Howard Waldstein

CBR

In any other director's hands, High and Low would be a crime-of-the-week story. Instead, elevated by Akira Kurosawa's masterful compositions, methodical pacing, and one of the best uses of color in film, it's a masterpiece.

Jun 27, 2023

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Brian Susbielles

InSession Film

Kurosawa likes it natural and in its normal state, which makes the suspense all so real.

Feb 22, 2023

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Judith Crist

New York Herald Tribune

Detail piles upon detail as Kurosawa proves himself far more the painstaking novelist than the author of the original fiction.

Aug 8, 2022

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Synopsis

Toshiro Mifune stars as a wealthy industrialist whose family becomes the target of a ruthless kidnapper in Akira Kurosawa's exemplary film noir. Based on Ed McBain's detective novel "King's Ransom," "High and Low" is both a riveting thriller and a brilliant commentary on contemporary Japanese society.

Director: Akira Kurosawa
Screenwriter: Eijirô Hisaita, Evan Hunter, Ryûzô Kikushima, Akira Kurosawa, Hideo Oguni
Production Co: Kurosawa Production, Toho Company
Genre: Crime, Drama
Original Language: Japanese
Release Date (Theaters): Nov 26, 1963, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Feb 25, 2017
Sound Mix: Mono
Aspect Ratio: Scope (2.35:1)

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