Who is the Audience for This Movie?

People who like police procedural movies.

What I Liked About This Movie

Akira Kurosawa is quite revered among movie buffs so I am slowly making my way through his filmography. After reading the synopsis of the movie you may think that it is a simple movie but Kurosawa cleverly structured the movie to make it quite unique.

The first half of the movie follows the main character as he is forced to make his choice of what to do about the situation. During this time it is nearly impossible as a viewer to not think of what you would do in his place. It is very tense situation and is not boring for even a moment. Whenever a movie makes me think of what I would do if I were in a characters place I find myself way more interested in it.

The second half follows the aftermath of the main characters decision. For the most part it is shot and structured much like a “who done it” in which the police follow the law to the strictest degree. Handling a load of different police procedures on paper seems like a dull idea. With some amazingly shot scenes and new twists always coming up you are bound to be as intrigued by the second half as the first.

Usually when a movie feels like two different movies I almost always dislike them. High and Low managed to break that stigma for me. For the first time a movie with two distinctly different halves seemed like a natural way to tell the story.

What Didn’t Work For Me

Absolutely nothing.

Should You Watch This Movie?

Before watching High and Low I had never heard anything about it. After finishing it I absolutely loved it. Even though this review was written after my first viewing I can see myself watching it numerous times and liking it more every time.

My Rating (Out of 13)