8/10
High and Low is clearly divided into three acts - the first act focuses on the moral struggle of Gondo, forced into paying a ransom for his chauffeur's son. It seems very much of the theatre - virtually all the action takes place in the living room, with a small cast of characters as the issue is dissected from all sides. I enjoyed this act quite a bit - it's certainly an interesting dilemma for the viewer himself to struggle with as he watches the film.
The second act shifts into a police prodecural. Aside from the brilliantly-shot sequence on the train that opens this section, I thought this was easily the film's weakest moment. It could definitely have been trimmed down. But I did enjoy the double meaning the title takes on as they search high and low for the kidnapper.
The third act is the sting the cops set up to nail the kidnapper, and the best of the three, if only because it's so unexpected - chasing a scarred kidnapper with mirrored sunglasses and a carnation in his pocket through drugged-out slums and fast-moving clubs seems like something out of a Seijun Suzuki movie and not something you'd immediately associate with someone like Kurosawa. It definitely made the film that much more endearing to me.
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