High and Low (1962)
Tomatometer
How does the Tomatometer work ![]()
Reviews Counted:83
Fresh:82
Rotten:1
Average Rating:8.6/10
Runtime: 2 hrs 23 mins
Genre: Foreign Films
Synopsis: Based on KING'S RANSOM, a crime novel by Ed McBain, HIGH AND LOW stars Toshirô Mifune as Kingo Gondo, a wealthy, hardworking businessman. As Gondo plans a coup that will secure his position as the... Based on KING'S RANSOM, a crime novel by Ed McBain, HIGH AND LOW stars Toshirô 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 labor 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 honorable thing and help save his driver's child? This moral dilemma drives Akira Kurosawa's intelligent, detailed thriller that features Mifune in a thoughtful, nuanced performance as a man forced to make a startlingly difficult decision. The first half of Kurosawa's film takes place high upon Gondo's hilltop home, in scenes shot almost entirely in his spacious living room. The second half, however, is largely set in the lowly, cramped confines of the city where the kidnapper hides from the police investigation led by the determined Inspector Tokura (Tatsuya Nakadai). The film's excellent cast also includes Kurosawa regulars Kyôko Kagawa, Takashi Shimura, and Susumu Fujita. With its bleak backdrop of 1960s industrial Yokohama, HIGH AND LOW stands as one of the finest examples of Japanese film noir, lensed through the meticulous vision of a master filmmaker. [More]
Starring: Toshirô Mifune, Tatsuya Mihashi, Tatsuya Nakadai, Tsutomu Yamazaki
Starring: Toshirô Mifune, Tatsuya Mihashi, Tatsuya Nakadai, Tsutomu Yamazaki, Kyôko Kagawa, Susumu Fujita, Takashi Shimura
Director: Akira Kurosawa
Director: Akira Kurosawa
Screenwriter: Ryuzo Kikushima, Hideo Oguni, Akira Kurosawa
Story: Ed McBain
Producer: Ryuzo Kikushima, Tomoyuki Tanaka
Get This Movie
Rent DVD
Click on the "ADD" button to put this movie into your Netflix queue.
Buy DVD
Release:
Jul 22, 2008
Reviews

Fresh
Fresh
Fresh

Fresh
Fresh
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 45% 45% | Ice Age: Dawn of the D… |
| 19% 19% | Transformers: Revenge … |
| 55% 55% | Orphan |
| 43% 43% | The Proposal |
| 26% 26% | Land of the Lost |
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 52% 52% | The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 |
| 37% 37% | G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra |
| 14% 14% | I Love You, Beth Cooper |
| 97% 97% | Food, Inc. |
| 28% 28% | Aliens in the Attic |
What’s Hot On RT
Other News
CloseSponsored Links
Around The Network
- High and Low at Rotten Tomatoes















