An executive mortgages all he owns to stage a coup and gain control of the National Shoe Company, with the intent of keeping the company out of the hands of incompetent and greedy executives. He needs the same money, though, to pay the ransom that will possibly save a child's life. His resolution of that dilemma -- the certain loss of the company vs. the probable loss of the child -- makes for one distinct drama, and an ensuing elaborate police procedure makes for a second.
Although Kurosawa's style in this film was rather bland, he didn't impress me this time around. However, the story, particularly the dilemma left with the main star, Toshirô Mifune, left for an interesting decision to be made. What's more important to a person: saving the money he's worked so hard to invest in a company (that if he gave it away, would bankrupt him and his family) or to save the life of an innocent child? I wish the film would have explored the process of coming to his decision in greater depth, reminiscent of a GUESS WHO'S COMING TO DINNER. Unfortunately, I feel it's made too quickly in the film and the rest of the time they're trying to track down the kidnapper (still interesting BTW).
