Little digital ink need be spilled here making the argument that Akira Kurosawa is one of the greatest directors to ever do it. In any language, from any era, across any genre, precious few can claim the far reaching influence, spanning generations, that Kurosawa can claim. Even as I write this, the Criterion Collection is releasing the great High And Low (1963) on 4K UHD probably precisely because Kurosawa’s work has inspired yet another GOATed filmmaker, Spike Lee, to riff on his work, with Highest 2 Lowest hitting theaters and Apple TV+ over the last several weeks.
Here at Cinapse, we’re all about cinematic exploration and discovery, and we’ve anticipated the release of Spike Lee and Denzel Washington’s update on this classic by writing about all of Spike and Denzel’s previous collaborations. I was primed and ready to check out their riff on High And Low, and was not disappointed by their take on this pulse pounding story. I bring that all up to say that by the time I pressed play on this 4K UHD of High And Low, I was locked and loaded, ready to by blown away by what the master had in store for me. My colleague and co-laborer in the trenches of cinematic exploration, Brendan Foley, has also put together a piece I highly recommend, which details the major differences between the original Ed McBain novel King’s Ransom, Kurosawa’s film, and Spike Lee’s latest riff. Because of the great work Monsieur Foley has already put in at our fine online establishment, my own review will focus less on these fascinating differences and iterations on a great ripping yarn, and focus more on my own personal reflections.
And there are a few points I’d like to highlight surrounding this masterwork.
Perhaps what grabbed me the most when I first saw High And Low, and what stood out once again today, is that this is about as far as you can get from “homework” cinema. As a lifelong discoverer of cinema, I go through phases of low brow appreciation, right on up to discovering the greatest works of earlier eras and other cultures, and anywhere in between. Sometimes I watch things because I feel like I SHOULD. And sometimes those more intellectual explorations pay off and become personal favorites, while other times I appreciate experiencing something that felt important, but didn’t quite change my life. Kurosawa, master that he is, can feel to some like assignment cinema. High And Low isn’t that. It’s a rip roaring kidnapping thriller in the first half, and an edge of your seat police procedural in the second. Anyone looking to explore the work of one of the greatest filmmakers of all time while also maybe having an exciting and digestible night at the movies could do a lot worse than High And Low. After all, it is an adaptation of essentially an airport paperback! Please take this sentiment as intended, not as any kind of denigration but rather as a grounding in the kind of genre you should expect when experiencing High And Low.
That said, within this thriller tale, there are layers that make it the decades-spanning classic that it is. Titled Heaven And Hell in its native Japanese, the film intentionally explores class disparity and the potent rage that can often be felt from one class towards another. This revisit of High And Low drew out comparison points for me of how influential Kurosawa must be on modern master Bong Joon Ho. But what stood out most to me here in High And Low, as well as in Highest 2 Lowest, is a crucial element of the tale that means a lot to me. And that is man’s ability to be faced with crisis and to do something many would debate is impossible: to change.
Toshiro Mifune’s Kingo Gondo is a wealthy and powerful man; a self-made man. He’s built the foundations for a shoe-making empire and is in the midst of a complex and vulnerable grab for dominance at his company when a kidnapping plot is thrust upon him. Crucial to this story (in all 3 iterations) is that Gondo initially believes his own son to be kidnapped, and quickly displays a willingness to give up his fortune to save his son. But when it’s revealed that the kidnapper messed up and kidnapped the son of Gondo’s personal driver, an intense character study begins. Here in Kurosawa’s version, Gondo is initially unwilling to pay; unwilling to set aside his dreams of corporate ascendancy, to save a child not his own. We, the audience, don’t like him for that, the police trying to crack the case don’t respect him for that, and his own wife and child are none too pleased either. But High And Low does something special and profoundly human: It charts change within a man. We’re allowed to dislike Gondo and also see the situation through his eyes a little bit too. Eventually, Gondo agrees to pay the ransom, and does truly everything in his power to value the life of a friend’s child. And in the end, he pays unalterable consequences for this virtuous choice. He does lose his position at a company he helped build. He is forced out by capitalistic vultures who show no empathy for a near tragedy (thankfully, the kidnapped child is returned safely). High And Low tells a sadly relevant tale of heroism that we desperately need today. It tells of a man who broke past his initial self interest to eventually make a sacred choice to value the life of a child over his fortune. And he pays a significant price for the choice. But he proves his mettle, and earns nation-wide respect, as a result. I can’t help but be inspired by this story in an age of political ass-kissing, social clout chasing, and abject individualism.
Of course, a story like this wouldn’t flirt with masterpiece status if it didn’t also execute on a number of other levels. And it does. Kurosawa’s tale depicts one of the ultimate “people being great at their jobs” thrillers as it shifts to focus on the police force’s investigation to catch the kidnapper in the back half. Our modern feelings and belief in the effectiveness of police work may strain the credulity of this back half, but it sure is satisfying watching smart people do smart things, inspired by Gondo himself doing the right thing, in order to bring about justice. Then, of course, there is the “low”, our downtrodden and mentally ill kidnapper. Kurosawa is unflinching in his depiction of the “hells” of Japanese culture, from heroin dens to shanty towns. Our perpetrator hates Gondo because he’s lived in the literal shadow of his hilltop manor and experienced little beyond squalor. And while High And Low allows for audiences to embrace a complex hero in Gondo, it offers little hope for those experiencing the hell of poverty.
Both compelling thriller and unflinching reflection on class and character, High And Low will forever offer thrills and inspire thoughtfulness. Far from “slumming it” with a paperback pulp, Kurosawa elevated a potboiler with his direction, with the all-time star power of Toshiro Mifune (himself one of the greatest to ever do it), and his profound human insights to craft an ageless tale. A contemporary tale in 1963 (where Kurosawa is perhaps most famous for telling samurai tales of the past), the master not only spins a damning portrait of the Japan he saw immediately around him, but also reflected on societal highs and lows that remain profoundly, tragically relevant today.
The Package
Pristine in its new 4K UHD transfer, High And Low brings a gorgeous aesthetic to an elite format that many films will never be granted. For physical media collectors, this is an easy recommend both in terms of the greatest possible picture quality, and a treasure trove of bonus material, making this likely the best physical media release this title has ever, and will ever, receive! Whether it would be a blind buy or a revisit, Criterion collectors and cinephiles alike have plenty of reason to check this disc out.
4K UHD + BLU-RAY SPECIAL EDITION FEATURES
- New 4K digital restoration, with 4.0 surround DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack
- One 4K UHD disc of the film and one Blu-ray with the film and special features
- Audio commentary featuring Akira Kurosawa scholar Stephen Prince
- Documentary on the making of High and Low, created as part of the Toho Masterworks series Akira Kurosawa: It Is Wonderful to Create
- Interviews with actors Toshiro Mifune and Tsutomu Yamazaki
- Trailers and teaser
- PLUS: An essay by critic Geoffrey O’Brien and an on-set account by Japanese-film scholar Donald Richie
- Cover by Lucien S. Y. Yang
And I’m Out.
High And Low hit 4K UHD from The Criterion Collection 9/9/2025.
