'High and Low' gets top-shelf DVD treatment
"High and Low" (The Criterion Collection) - Akira Kurosawa's hypnotic, haunting 1963 crime thriller gets a fantastic new presentation in this two-disc set from Criterion. The film, loosely based on the Ed McBain novel "King's Ransom," uses a kidnapping plot to explore tensions between the rich and poor in contemporary Japan. The meaty supplements Criterion has chosen for this release make it a DVD movie buffs should cherish.
Acting legend and frequent Kurosawa collaborator Toshiro Mifune plays Gondo, a rich executive at a shoe company who lives in a lavish hilltop mansion. One day the phone rings, and the caller says he's kidnapped Gondo's little boy. The kidnapper demands 30 million yen, a sum that will bankrupt Gondo. He agrees to pay without hesitation, though, until his son walks into the room, obviously unharmed.
The kidnapper, it turns out, mistakenly snatched the son of Gondo's chauffeur. He demands the ransom anyway, saying he'll kill the boy if Gondo doesn't pay up. But now Gondo hesitates. He's not so willing to give up his fortune when it's not his own son's life at stake.
The first half of "High and Low" explores Gondo's agonized back-and-forth on the "Should I pay?" question. The second half brings the kidnapping investigation to suspenseful life. The entire film showcases Kurosawa's mastery of shot composition, pacing and mood. There are some beautiful images here, and the acting excels across the board, with Mifune and Tsutomu Yamazaki, who plays the kidnapper, the standouts. (The final scene between them will burn itself into your brain.) "High and Low" is a superb film, the work of a true artist.
This new two-disc set, which replaces a bare-bones release from Criterion, includes a commentary from Kurosawa expert Stephen Prince, a vintage making-of documentary, a 1981 television interview with Mifune, a new Yamazaki interview, trailers and more. This one is bound to appear on many best-of-2008 lists. (NR; Criterion, $39.95)
"Shine a Light" - Yes, they occasionally look like the Living Dead on stage, and I nearly choked on all the baby boomer nostalgia in the air, but in "Shine a Light," the Rolling Stones prove they can still rock. Martin Scorsese directed this loving concert film, utilizing the talents of some of today's best cinematographers. The cameras snake their way all over the stage (at New York's Beacon Theater) and around the performers, giving us an exceptionally intimate view of the performance. For their part, Mick Jagger, Keith Richards and the rest of the Stones rip through song after song with the energy of kids one-third their age. "Shine a Light" doesn't reveal anything new about the band, and it's not nearly as powerful as the great Stones concert film "Gimme Shelter," but it's an energetic look at a band that just won't quit. The DVD includes extra performances and some great archival footage that didn't make it into the film. (PG-13; Paramount, $19.99)
"The Band's Visit" - Here is an offbeat but touching story about an Egyptian orchestra that gets stranded in an isolated Israeli town. That sounds like the setup for a schmaltzy "can't-we-all-get-along" story, but "The Band's Visit" is much more interesting than that. Israeli filmmaker Eran Kolirin uses the premise to explore the small moments of loneliness and joy that fill all of our lives. If you're in the mood for something different, seek this out. The DVD comes with a making-of featurette and photo gallery. (PG-13; Sony, $28.96)
"WarGames" (25th anniversary edition) - "WarGames" was one of the best films from the era of the Commodore 64 and Apple IIe. Yet unlike those '80s relics, it holds up. Matthew Broderick plays David, a suburban teen infatuated with computers. One day, to impress class hottie Jennifer (an adorable Ally Sheedy), David hacks into what he thinks is a video game program and plays "global thermonuclear war" on his home computer. One problem: David actually hacks into the country's defense network, and his "game" is about to trigger World War III. The details of this Cold War thriller are dated, of course, but its basic anxiety about computers and technology still resonate in this post-911 world. And winning performances by Broderick, Sheedy and the great Dabney Coleman keep the entertainment level high. This 25th anniversary DVD boasts a solid list of supplements, including a fascinating making-of documentary with interviews from all the major players. (PG; MGM, $14.98; Note: Also out today from MGM is"WarGames: The Dead Code," a direct-to-DVD sequel, for $26.98)