High and Low 4K UHD - The Criterion Collection (US Edition)

High and Low is a gripping crime drama and social critique from legendary director Akira Kurosawa. Loosely inspired by Ed McBain’s novel King’s Ransom, the story follows Kingo Gondo (Toshiro Mifune), a wealthy executive who has mortgaged everything to seize control of a shoe company. His plans are derailed when criminals kidnap what they believe is his son—but instead abduct the chauffeur’s child.

Faced with a moral and financial dilemma, Gondo must decide whether to ruin himself to save another man’s boy. The film transitions from tense boardroom drama in Gondo’s hilltop mansion (“high”) to a gritty police procedural in Yokohama’s underworld (“low”). Kurosawa uses this dual structure to examine themes of class division, justice, and personal responsibility, with stunning widescreen compositions that capture both the claustrophobia of privilege and the chaos of the streets.

The finale—a stark prison-bar confrontation between Gondo and the kidnapper—delivers one of Kurosawa’s most haunting moral reckonings. High and Low is both a masterclass in suspense and a powerful social commentary, securing its place among the greatest crime films ever made.

4K UHD + Blu-ray Special Edition Features

• New 4K digital restoration with 4.0 surround DTS-HD Master Audio

• One 4K UHD disc of the film and one Blu-ray with the film and bonus features

• Audio commentary by Kurosawa scholar Stephen Prince

• Toho Masterworks documentary: Akira Kurosawa: It Is Wonderful to Create

• Archival interviews with Toshiro Mifune and Tsutomu Yamazaki

• Theatrical trailers and teaser

• Plus: Essay by critic Geoffrey O’Brien and an on-set account by scholar Donald Richie

• New cover art by Lucien S. Y. Yang