High and Low (1963) – A high bar, lo and behold

If you compiled a list of the all-time greatest and most influential directors, that list would be incomplete without Akira Kurosawa. Many of his films have had a severe impact upon western audiences, whether it is The Hidden Fortress being a massive influence on Star Wars, Seven Samurai (and its remake The Magnificent Seven) inspiring many works including Pixar’s A Bug’s Life, or Rashomon being used to name the phenomenon of unreliable eyewitnesses. The latter is also considered responsible for opening up Western audiences to Japanese cinema.

Yet, despite his many works, a number of people are guilty of minimizing Kurosawa’s achievements to “just making Samurai films.” It recalls how people put Martin Scorsese in a similar box for making gangster films, and both cases see misjudged underestimations of magnificently humanist creatives. If anybody is interested in a non-samurai flick from Kurosawa, then High and Low is a tremendous place to start.

Adapting Ed McBain’s 1959 novel, King’s Ransom, the story opens with businessmen conspiring to gain control of a company called National Shoes. The majority of the group wishes for the company to make cheap shoes of low-quality, out of a desire to maximise their profits in the short-term. Standing in their way is wealthy executive Kingo Gondo (Toshiro Mifune), who prefers a long-term plan of making sturdy shoes of high-quality. Their combative views on the company leads to Gondo enacting a secret plan, where he mortgaged all that he has to buyout the majority shares of National Shoes.

Just before his plan is put into action, a phone call arrives from somebody claiming to have kidnapped Gondo’s son. The father is ready to pay the hefty ransom, although it soon transpires that the kidnapper mistakenly abducted the child of Gondo’s chauffeur instead. The kidnapper still demands the ransom from Gondo, leaving him at a crossroads. Will he pay up and face financial ruin, or put the child at risk by persevering with his takeover plans?

Amidst his 180+ acting credits, Toshiro Mifune is best known for the 16 times that he collaborated with Kurosawa. It is understandable to see why these roles rank highest for him, as they capture what made him such a compelling presence in a way that great artists can draw out of their cast. While Gondo positions himself to become the boss of a well-known company, it is a defensive action to stop the company from going downhill, as he truly wants to just make good shoes. As he is thrust into a difficult situation, a powerful humanity remains in Mifune’s eyes as the character tries finding the best route to take.

What’s notable is how quickly Gondo agreed to pay when his son was at risk, regardless of the financial ruin it would inflict upon him. When the target shifts to a child from a lower income household, the executive is more hesitant to risk his family’s financial stability. Regardless of whether his actions are subconscious, this is an effective realisation of a class divide. Kurosawa depicts wealth inequalities in such fascinating ways, with Gondo’s house serving as a looming reminder as it sits high above the low income areas.

If the films first half focused on the reactions to the kidnapping, the second half grapples with the aftermath, while the entire work offers a compelling thriller throughout. Kurosawa employs a stunning direction which thrillingly captures the unfolding situation, whether amidst a train-set sequence, phone conversations, or ruthless negotiations between company executives. It all builds to a reflective ending which showcases the exceptional acting on-show, courtesy of a powerfully impactful scene.

Last year, it was announced that Spike Lee would direct a reinterpretation of this film titled Highest 2 Lowest, which would star Denzel Washington and Jeffrey Wright, to be distributed by A24 and Apple Original Films. Only time will tell how that film turns out, and while it may become an impressive work in its own right, it will have a herculean task to top this exceptional 1963 feature. Not only does this film further prove Kurosawa’s status as a master filmmaker, High and Low is in serious contention for as his best film.

James’s Archive – High and Low (1963)