Kurosawa

However, before Lee’s take on Akira Kurosawa’s 1963 crime thriller “High and Low” hit the big screen, some tension spilled over onto the red carpet.

It's a reinterpretation of Japanese film-maker Akira Kurosawa's 1963 crime thriller High and Low, "played out on the mean streets of modern day New York City".

“It seizes upon Lucas’ original dream of finding a pop vessel for his obsessions — Akira Kurosawa epics, John Ford westerns, science-fiction serials — and fulfills it with a verve and imagination all its own.”

The show opens with a short black-and-white preamble, set in Tokyo, that echoes the premise of Akira Kurosawa’s great 1963 crime thriller “High and Low.”

As the camera revolves around the action, it can feel like players are in a Formula 1 racecar driven by Akira Kurosawa.