7 Movie Villains That You'll Genuinely Feel Sorry For

4. Ginjirô Takeuchi in High and Low (1963)

Kurosawa opened several eyes with this magnificent thriller. Many would consider the premise basic and clichéd in contemporary terms. The hero is wealthy, villain kidnaps child and asks for ransom, and the villain is caught in the end. However, he included one factor that makes High and Low a very important movie in sociological terms. The film€™s mise-en-scene contrasts Gondo€™s penthouse at the top of the cliff to the rancid shacks at the bottom. This €˜castle€™ stares down upon the masses, which is exactly what snaps the villain€™s mind. Kurosawa was not an anti-capitalist, but he at least tried to expose that not everybody benefitted from the economic miracle of the €˜Golden Sixties€™ in Japan. Takeuchi gives the viewer a brief €“ yet powerful €“ scene in the end of the film, in which he describes the very cold winters and boiling summers that he has suffered through in that poorly insulated home. Viewing Gondo€™s home at the top of the cliff everyday twisted his sanity, which prompted him to commit the crime. He confesses all this through a glass wall hours before his execution for one reason. He wishes to convince Gondo that he is dying without any regrets; he will accept no pity. Toshiro Mifune, though, displays his acting range by a simple stare €“ he feels for his rival. He even asks why they must hate each other despite having his dreams shattered by Takeuchi. In the very end, the villain bursts into tears, since he truly is afraid of death. Kurosawa proves that if the hero pities his rival regardless of his wrongdoings, then the audience will as well.
Contributor
Contributor

I'm currently enrolled in the Film Studies program at the University of Copenhagen in Denmark. If you haven't guessed by now, movies and media are as a big of a passion for me as they are for you and would love to hear what you've gotta say as well!