1963: Tengoku to jigoku (High and Low)

About two thirds of Kurosawa's contemporary kidnapping movie show the police trying to catch the perp, as us police people put it, so why is it better than your average TV crime film? A few points:

• The screenplay does leave some questions, but it is structured more interestingly than your average script; in particular, it has well-placed turning points that aren't just there because the textbook says you need them.
• Looks better: It's set in early 1960s Tokyo rather than, say, late 2000s Bremen.
• Looks better: It's in black and white.
• Looks better: It has a director with a sense for visual stuff. This is a thing that baffles me: Much of made-for-TV stuff seems to be by directors and cameramen who don't care how things look. Lack of time and money can't explain all of it.

That list certainly isn't exhaustive. All in all, 7.5.