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Chris Rock Rewriting a Remake of Kurosawa's High and Low

by Ethan Anderton
April 12, 2010
Source: Black Voices

Way back in 2008 we heard about a remake of Akira Kurosawa's High and Low, a 1963 detective thriller, which would be scripted by David Mamet (Glengarry Glen Ross, Heist) and directed by Mike Nichols. It's been a long time since then and we haven't heard one bit of new information until today, and to be honest, it's not the most thrilling update, though it is rather peculiar. While out promoting another remake, Death at a Funeral, Chris Rock mentioned to Black Voices (via ComingSoon) that he will be writing a new draft of Mamet's script with Nichols still directing. Come on, guys, April Fool's Day is getting old at this point!

The Kurosawa film was based on King's Ransom, a crime novel by Ed McBain, and starred Toshirô Mifune as Kingo Gondo, a wealthy, hardworking businessman. As Gondo plans a coup that will secure his position as the head of his Yokohama shoe company, he's contacted by a criminal who tells him that he's kidnapped his son. The crook demands a huge ransom for the boy's return - an amount that has taken Gondo 30 years of labor to amass. As the worried industrialist prepares to pay the ransom, he discovers that his son is safe at home - the kidnapper has mistakenly taken his chauffeur's son. The question then becomes: Does Gondo abandon his plans to pay off the criminal, or does he do the honorable thing and help save his driver's child?

As strange as it may seem though, this news is anything but fake. It's another interesting move for Rock who delved into documentary's last year with Good Hair, and seems to be ever so slightly moving away from his usual comedic fare. This will certainly be the most bold and unique project he's worked on to date, and while I don't think it plays to his comedic strengths (though his movies have been mostly crap), the guy is one of the best, most irreverent stand-up acts out there, and I'm at least mildly interested in seeing how he approaches this kind of material. We'll be hoping for the best. Anyone else interested or at least simply aghast?

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