High and Low *****

Director: Akira Kurosawa

Year: 1963

Novel by: Evan Hunter

Adapted by: Hideo Oguni, Ryûzô Kikushima, Eijirô Hisaita, Akira Kurosawa

Cinematographers: Asakazu Nakai, Takao Saitô

The first half of the film takes place entirely within a living room, dealing with the moral dilemma the main character, Reiko Gondo, is put into. The second half is almost an entirely different film as a police procedural plays out hunting down the man who put Gondo into his tight spot. The ending is a bit unexpected, a scene that illuminates the title. High and Low is the theme and the tension of the film.