天国と地獄
Stark, intense drama almost beyond belief!
A Yokohama shoe executive faces a wrenching choice when kidnappers mistakenly seize his chauffeur’s son but demand the ransom anyway.
High and Low (1963) is a drama, crime, thriller and mystery film directed by Akira Kurosawa, released on March 1, 1963 with a runtime of 2h 22m. It stars Toshirō Mifune, Tatsuya Nakadai, Kyōko Kagawa and Tatsuya Mihashi. Viewers rate it 8.4 out of 10 across 1,189 ratings.
Watch the official trailer for High and Low before you stream it.
Official trailers, teasers, clips and featurettes for High and Low.
Trailer
Featurette
Toshirō Mifune
as Kingo Gondo
Tatsuya Nakadai
as Chief Detective Tokura
Kyōko Kagawa
as Reiko Gondo
Tatsuya Mihashi
as Kawanishi, Gondo's secretary
Isao Kimura
as Detective Arai
Kenjirō Ishiyama
as Chief Detective 'Bos'n' Taguchi
Takeshi Katō
as Detective Nakao
Takashi Shimura
as Chief of Investigation Section
Jun Tazaki
as Kamiya, National Shoes Publicity Director
Nobuo Nakamura
as Ishimaru, National Shoes Design Department Director
Yūnosuke Itō
as Baba - National Shoes Executive
Tsutomu Yamazaki
as Ginjirô Takeuchi - Medical Intern
Directed by Akira Kurosawa, written by Akira Kurosawa, Hideo Oguni and Ryuzo Kikushima, produced by Ryuzo Kikushima and Tomoyuki Tanaka.
Average viewer score of 8.4/10 from 1,189 ratings.
I didn't take to this initially. The scenario reminded me a little of an episode of "Columbo" - a rather sterile, studio-set environment that came across as quite limiting. Once it gets going, though, it's one of the best crime thrillers I've seen in ages. It all centres around the kidnapping of a small boy for whom the anger-prone, shoe millionaire "Gondo" (a strong contribution from Toshirô Mifune) is supposed to…
Reviewed on September 4, 2023
A well worked, high stake crime thriller. The stakes are deeply personal to our main characters and puts them in an impossible situation. The performances and direction are very solid, the story is engaging and ultimately, it's a simple yet enjoyable film. Kurosawa comments on modern corporate greed and poverty in post-war Japan, and he does it very well.
Reviewed on December 19, 2024
I’m always amazed at how a single film can be fundamentally characterized in multiple ways, but that’s understandable when the picture combines an array of diverse elements, each of which has a validity all its own that can subsequently lead to different overarching interpretations. Such is the case with this 1963 film classic from famed Japanese auteur Akira Kurosawa, which provides the cinematic inspiration…
Reviewed on August 27, 2025
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High and Low (1963) is available to stream on HBO Max Amazon Channel, Criterion Channel and HBO Max, and to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store and Fandango At Home. Streaming availability is checked against JustWatch data and can change by region.
The main cast of High and Low (1963) includes Toshirō Mifune, Tatsuya Nakadai, Kyōko Kagawa, Tatsuya Mihashi and Isao Kimura. The film was directed by Akira Kurosawa. You can see the full cast and crew list, with character names, further up this page.
High and Low was released on March 1, 1963 and runs for 2h 22m.
High and Low (1963) holds an average rating of 8.4 out of 10 from 1,189 viewer votes, and is a good pick if you enjoy drama, crime and thriller films. Read the viewer reviews on this page to decide for yourself.
Yes. The official High and Low trailer is embedded in the trailer section of this page and plays instantly, no download or sign-up required.
