(Also known as Heaven and Hell and The Ransom.) A superb thriller that is also a metaphysical probe, on the level of Dostoevsky, into the ambiguities of guilt and innocence, High and Low is recognized as one of the truly great films to have been created in the detective-story genre. Toshiro Mifune stars as a wealthy executive who is forced to pay ransom for the release of his chauffeur's son when he is mistaken for his own by a kidnapper. Kurosawa creates a constant, often ironic interplay between high and low, heaven and hell, in presenting the film now from the perspective of the wealthy man's home on high, now from below, where the kidnapper lives among thieves and dope dealers. The film descends into this “hell” for a manhunt that is a masterpiece of complexity and precision, a dazzling piece of filmmaking. The final confrontation, in which weary father and accusatory kidnapper are separated only by the reflecting glass of a prison visiting room, epitomizes the moral anguish in which High and Low abounds.
• Directed by Akira Kurosawa.