An executive mortgages all he owns to stage a coup and gain control of the National Shoe Company, with the intent of keeping the company out of the hands of incompetent and greedy executives. He needs the same money, though, to pay the ransom that will possibly save a child's life. His resolution of that dilemma -- the certain loss of the company vs. the probable loss of the child -- makes for one distinct drama, and an ensuing elaborate police procedure makes for a second.” "High and Low" focuses on Kingo Gondo (Toshiro Mifune), a powerhouse executive in the Japanese shoe industry. In the midst of an attempt to take over his company, a proposition that throws him in hock down to his own furniture, he's hit by a huge ransom demand, with a twist -- the kidnaper (Tsutomu Yamazaki) takes, not his own son, but his chauffeur's. Paying the ransom will ruin him financially; not paying it will ruin him as a human being. Gondo's anguish plays against the backdrop of financial intrigue and a more conventional police thriller, as Kurosawa delves into the cops' massive effort to track the kidnaper, led by the sensitive, but briskly ruthless, Detective Tokura (Tatsuya Nakadai). As Gondo grapples with his choice, the movie acquires a mythic depth -- it's not unlike the story of Abraham, as Gondo is forced to decide between the life of an innocent and fealty to an abstract code. And at the same time, without ostentation, Kurosawa alludes to the more general dilemma of modern Japanese life -- the conflict between humane values and the rigid loyalties that have made for its commercial success.
Título Original: Tengoku to jigoku Director: Akira Kurosawa Guionistas: Eijirô Hisaita, Ryuzo Kikushima, Hideo Oguni et Akira Kurosawa adapted from Rançon sur un thème mineur d'Ed McBain Producción: Tôhô & Kurosawa Production Co. Música: Masaru Satô Cinematografía: Asakazu Nakai et Takao Saitô Vestuario: Miyuki Suzuki Duración: 143 min | USA:142 min País: Japan Lengua: Japanese Color: Black and White | Color (Eastmancolor) (inserts only) Aspect Ratio: 2.35 : 1 more