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 films mise-en-scene contrasts Gondos 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 villains 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 Gondos 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.