The Threat is a gritty crime drama in the vein of Kurosawa's High and Low, set against the backdrop of a rapidly modernising Japan that has left many of its citizens behind.
Misawa (Rentarō Mikuni, Fugitive from the Past, Vengeance is Mine) appears to lead a charmed life, the very model of Japan's post-war economic miracle. His position as the account manager of a prestigious advertising agency is enough to pay the mortgage on the spacious modern house he shares with his wife (Masumi Harukawa, Intentions of Murder) and their two young boys, kitted out with all the latest mod-cons. Then one day, the fragility of his existence is revealed when two violent jail-breakers turn up on his doorstep seeking refuge and threatening to embroil Misawa in their criminal activities.
