In 1959, crime fiction author, Evan Hunter (under the pseudonym, Ed McBain) published a novel titled, “King’s Ransom.” The tenth installment of the “87th Precinct” series focuses on a businessman who gets caught in a moral predicament. Refuse to pay the ransom money to a kidnapper in exchange of letting a kid free or keep the money to himself. Two Years Later, Toho bought the film rights to adapt the book into a film under, “High and Low.” This time set in Japan with Akira Kurosawa directing and Toshiro Mifune in the lead role.
Released in 1963, (same year the X-Men made their comic book debut) it received praise from critics and movie goers alike. High and Low was later nominated at the Golden Globe Awards for “Best Foreign Language Film.” Overtime, the film earned further significant praise as one of Akira Kurosawa’s best works. The Criterion Collection selected High and Low as spine number 24. Later digitally restored in 4K UHD.
Spike Lee directed an American remake with Denzel “My Man” Washington under, “Highest 2 Lowest.” It premiered at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival. Now streaming on Apple TV Plus. Before I check out the remake, I wanna share my thoughts on my favorite film of 1963.
This review contains no crucial SPOILERS whatsoever. I’m giving you fellas a chance to see this masterpiece.
Right & Wrong Aspects
Right: Toshiro Mifune and the rest of the cast all did a terrific job for their respective performances.
Akira Kurosawa did an excellent job directing.
Fun Facts
- Hideo Kojima (Metal Gear series, Death Stranding) visited the Criterion Closet grabbing movies to watch. He mentioned High and Low as one of his all-time favorite films. He’s a big time cinephile.
- Letterboxd ranked the film number six as part of their “Official Top 250 Narrative Feature Films.”
- David Fincher stated the film as a huge influence.
- Prior to Spike Lee’s Highest 2 Lowest, Martin Scorsese tried to adapt an American remake in 2001 with David Mamet writing the script. He scrapped it in favor of “Gangs of New York.”
Random Thought: I never read King’s Random or any of the 87th Precinct books. I was only interested in Kurosawa films in the Criterion Collection.
Cinematography captures well shot imagery giving it a Film Noir feel.
One of Kurosawa’s signature trademarks, the “Wipe Effect” often transitions from one scene to another. George Lucas used in “Star Wars.” He’s deeply influenced by Kurosawa’s work.
Pacing didn’t bore me at all. I was intrigued since the beginning. Better buildup than Alfred Hitchcock’s “The Birds.” Sorry, Hitchcock fans, I didn’t like it. Wasn’t 100% scary.
Fellow Kurosawa collaborator, Takashi Shimura plays the police chief. Check out his leading film, “Ikiru.” It’s another masterpiece by Kurosawa.
We learn about the lives of Gondo and the kidnapper.
Primary Themes are Wealth, Morality, Social Class, Family, Capitalism & Choice. Each one’s handled maturely.
Wrong: If you’re not a fan of non-English language Japanese films, this one may not be your cup of tea. I’ll let this con slide. I didn’t feel miserable from the get-go.
I couldn’t find anything wrong. I’m giving Kurosawa and his crew an Extra Point for making a flawless film as possible.
The Final Verdict: A, FOR APEX!
High and Low is one of Akira Kurosawa’s best films. If you’re a Criterion loyalist, it’s a must-buy. I prefer this over Alfred Hitchcock’s The Birds. Gotta give films from the past tough love whether they hold up or not. Anyway, which film in the Criterion Collection should I review next? Please leave a comment and don’t forget to subscribe for more reviews.
Nickthemoviecritic.com 