This was a great film, perhps Kurosawa's best non-Samurai film. Kurosawa is best known for his epic Samurai films, but here he delves deeply into a suspense crime drama. And as usual he succeeds tremendously. The action builds slow to a tremendous climax. When the keystone cops are about to apprehend the kidnapper and psycho killer, I was wondering how he would setup the shot. How would we see the killer get apprehended? Would there be a chase scene? Would the kidnapper be killed?
The shot is setup with a medium close shot tracking the kidnapper to the hideout. We see those big black glasses with reflective lenses all the way until he is finally captured, alive, and ready to face up for his crimes. The glasses reminded me of Tom Cruise from Risky Business, perhaps High and Low is the inspiration? Who knows. The scene is done very well. There is no chases scene, but to my surprise the kidnapper attempts to swallow the bad herion, it creates a intense moment of tension, just short and powerful enough to keep you wrapped up in the scene. Just when you think, oh the killer has been apprehended it's all over, he almost gets the herion into his mouth.
Yet, the scene I liked best was at the end. Toshiro Mifune who plays an older business executive in High and Low comes to the prison and meets with the killer. The scene is setup as a singular meeting between Mifune and the kidnapper/killer. The kidnapper is going to be executed and has requested to see Mifune. In the shot the major theme of the film reaches it's most obvious expression. Throughout the film we see the clash of class between the high and low of Yokohama.
There is Mifune the big executive and his Chaffuer who's child was mistakenly kidnapped. In the final scene the kidnapper who is a poor medical intern reveals that he has stared at Mifune's house up on the hill. He flies into a psychotic rage about his horrid life. His arm starts to shake until he finally yells at Mifune that he has no regrets about the crime he has committed. In the extremely well written scene, the kidnapper goes onto say that he doesn't fear hell. He is finally dragged out of the meeting room, kicking and screaming. The camera fades out, a metal separator comes down where the two men were talking, and all you hear is the madman's psychotic yelling as the scene fades to black. Great stuff!
The performances were great. The shots of Yokohama were great, especially "junky alley." I don't think I'd ever seen such a thing in a Japanese film. So many junkies. Startling. The tension is built up to a peak. Kurosawa takes things slowly and carefully at first, then finishes with great gusto. Am I just repeating the nytimes review from when it was first released? Yes. I agree with what he has written. Hopefully I have added to the literature about High and Low.
I watched a Kurosawa film because this weekend I'm going to a Japanese film festival in Manhattan (as Tom Wolfe says "The Boutique Island") It's at the Japan Society. I'm looking forward to it. I think the film I'm looking forward to most is an adaptation of Clint Eastwood's Unforgiven into a Japanese film. Hopefully there will be some Samurai action. I can't get enough of that. Ciao!
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