High and Low (1963) Akira Kurosawa based on the book by Evan Hunter

I’ve watched a handful of Kurosawa films and while most are historical and beautiful, I found High and Low (1963) one that I thought about most.  It seems like a straightforward police procedural, but I was very impressed with the portrayal of the modern police in this movie.  A rich man’s son is kidnapped and his life is thrown into turmoil, but when it is discovered that the kidnappers have taken the gardener’s child by mistake, he is presented with a moral dilemma.  How much is a child’s life worth when he’s not your child?  Kurosawa tells the story of the families involved but also the police and then the kidnapper.  It is a very layered movie that still feels modern.  Spike Lee’s recent remake was good, but I like to go to the source. Do what I did and see both.

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