J-Horror at its finest: Exte Hair Extensions

C'mon, a horror movie about hair extensions? I've seen some dreadful J-horror in the years following the massive successes of Ringu and Ju-On, most notably The Locker, an abysmal horror flick about evil ghosts that haunt a particular high school locker, and the kids who die if they are assigned it. It even had a sequel. But Exte: Hair Extensions has one thing in its favor, the main reason that drew me to this film: it is directed by Sion Son, the man responsible for two of the most uncompromisingly disturbing and beautifully shot films of this decade, Suicide Circle and Strange Circus. So I took a chance on it, and I am glad I did. This is one of the best horror films I've seen in a long while. Chiaki Kuriyama (actress known best for the vicious schoolgirl roles in Battle Royale and Kill Bill) stars as Yuko Mizushima, an aspiring young hair stylist who is working at a local salon. She has an older sister, Tsugumi, a terrible and abusive mother to her daughter Miku, and spends her time drinking and making love to a local pimp. Tsugumi arrives unexpectedly one day to drop her daughter off while she goes out for a night of binging and trysts. Yuko doesn't know what to do with Miku, especially since she has to go to work. She is disturbed to find bruises covering Miku's body, and the young girl's subservience and manner are hallmarks of an abused child. Yuko tries to connect to her and break through that barrier, but it is slow going -- Miku accidentally breaks one of Yuko's mannequins, and spends the rest of the day cowering in the corner, afraid of what her aunt might do to her. In the meantime, a female body is discovered in a freight crate, covered in hair. An autopsy is done, and she is listed as a Jane Doe. The coroner, however, has a hair fetish, and develops a disturbingly close relationship with the corpse, eventually stealing her from the morgue and taking her home. The corpse continues to grow hair at a super fast pace. The coroner decides that he can make some money by selling the hair as extensions, and he goes off to sell them at the local salons. At one place, the owner purchases some and goes to apply them on a customer. Touching the hair causes a telepathic flashback to the corpse, and how the woman dies. She was kidnapped, raped, and stripped of her hair, eventually left to die. This connection causes the barber to go psychotic, and she kills her customer and herself. The police find a connection between this and the corpse because of the hair. The coroner sells the hair to the salon where Yuko is working. One of her coworkers likes the hair so much she tries it on herself at home, and is killed. Yuko brings some home to practice on. She has also bonded with Miku, despite the girl's accident, by getting her interested in hair cutting. Tsugumi barges into her place one day and over Miku's objections, steals some of her younger sister's clothes and the hair extensions. Tsugumi and her lover are killed by the extensions. The police interview everyone at Yuko's place, and Yuko herself is a person of interest, especially since her sister's death. But it is the coroner they are after, and the police begin a manhunt for him. Yuko realizes that she has left Miku alone with the extensions, and rushes home. Opening the door, she is confronted with a pile of hair which has filled up every square inch of the apartment. Diving in, she rescues Miku, but both are overwhelmed by the hair, and she fall unconscious. Waking up, they find themselves at the coroner's place, but before they are killed, the police come storming in, and in the ensuing chaos the coroner is killed, and the corpse's vengeful spirit laid to rest.

Like I said, this film is nuts! But the inventiveness and direction by Sion Son makes this a classic horror film, taking all the cliche elements of J-horror and putting such a spin on it that it becomes something original. Highly recommended!

Heavenly Forest

Heavenly Forest is another in a long line of Love Story derivatives -- the pure love of a couple undermined by the terminal illness of one of the partners. Makoto (Hiroshi Tamaki) is a loner teen freshman who meets Shizuru (Aoi Miyazaki) on a street corner on the way to class. Shizuru comes across as very young and immature for a freshman, but the two of them strike up a friendship. Shizuru develops a crush on Makoto who is content to find a pal whom they can explore the park beyond a no trespassing sign and take pictures. This friendship is disrupted by a third person, a gorgeous young woman named Miyuki. Makoto falls for her, and Shizuru is heartbroken, but all three form a little clique, friends one and all. Shizuru makes things more interesting when Makoto finds out that she is no longer living at home, and offers her a place to stay at his house. Overwhelmed with joy, she accepts, but when she offers herself to him, he is embarrassed, and nothing happens. She begins to drop hints about the fleetness of life, and how people should embrace the here and now. She manages to get a picture of her and Makoto kissing, and soon after, she vanishes. Makoto grieves for her disappearance, but it is several years before he hears from her again. He has become a freelance photographer, and one day he receives a letter from Shizuru. She is living in New York, and they make arrangements to meet there. Flying over, he reminisces about their past, and concludes that he is truly in love with her. But she does not meet at the arranged meeting spot. Miyuki does, and a puzzled Makoto goes to her place, where apparently the two women were roommates. Makoto discovers that Shizuru had died of an incurable genetic disease. Makoto goes to a group photo exhibition where Shizuru has her works shown, and finds that she had matured into a beautiful woman, and sees all the pictures of their past. Before returning home to Japan, he makes Miyuki promise to send the rest of her letters (she wrote a whole bunch) to him.

I was all prepared to hate this film, but what saves it is the acting of Aoi Miyazaki and some beautiful cinematography and tight direction by Takehiko Shinjo. Aoi carries this film with her disarming charm and vivaciousness. Watching the relationship grow was what kept my interest, until the usual 2/3 mark where that twist kicks in that undermines the film. I knew that she was going to die, but to have that expectation fulfilled was disappointing -- I wanted something different to happen. I would have preferred that he came to New York and not met her or Miyuki, and have some sort of existential conclusion, with a scene revealing to the viewer that only Miyuki knows what happened to their friend. Ah well. Otherwise, an above average romance film, which is saying a lot from me.

Romance, Johnny To Style: Linger

After a string of high quality crime films (Election, Exiled), director Johnny To has moved in a different direction with the film Linger. Vic Zhou stars as Dong, an athletic student who at he beginning of the film is seen making love to his girlfriend. Later he arrives at class with another young woman Yan (Li Bing Bing), who teases the girlfriend with their secret relationship, to Dong's annoyance. Dong and Yan have an argument -- where is this all leading to? , with Yan storming off. Dong pursues her on his motorcycle, and in one of the most reckless acts of romance ever, tries to get her to declare her love for him - her in a bus, both moving side by side down the road. Of course, Dong is killed. Move forward several years, and Yan has graduated, and is working as a clerk in a law firm. Dong's death haunts her, to the point where she can no longer sleep without taking drugs. She regularly sees a shrink, who tries to help her move on. The moment she feels strong enough to not take the pills, she has visions of Dong and the accident. Until one day, Dong appears to her, his spirit still lingering on the earth, waiting for her to confront and resolve her past. Their "relationship" becomes a journey of self discovery for Yan, as she meets a client who shows interest in her. He's an ex gang member who is on trial for withholding evidence regarding his boss; a young man who is also at odds with his past, especially when he falls for Yan. The rest of the film finds Yan accepting that she loved Dong, helping Dong's father reconcile with his son, and starting a new path with the young man. Dong is thus able to move to the spirital world, as seen by Yan, drifting off into the ocean on a small sailboat.

I admire Johnnie To for a change of pace. However, this is one weak story, with very unmemorable characters. Even Li Bing bing, one of the major actresses from Asia, struggles to make her character convincing, and it shows. A lesser effort by To.

The Mastery of Miike - Scars of the Sun

Takashi Miike continues to produce astonishing films. His latest, Scars of the Sun, is part crime drama, part social commentary, with moments of brutal violence that hits the viewer in the gut by being frankly realistic. Katayama is an architect, who, coming home from work one day, stumbles across a mugging of a street person by three teenage kids. Actually, they are beating him to death, and Katayama decides to take things into his own hands and beats up the three teens. This seemingly random act of kindness leads to trouble for Katayama, as his daughter is kidnapped by one of the teenagers (the leader, Kamiki) and murdered. His attempts to seek justice are thwarted by a police force and legal system that protects the youth, and Katayama, by taking the initiative, is seen as a troublemaker, and is blamed for causing his daughter's death. His wife later commits suicide. Kamiki is found, sentenced, and serves three years at a juvenile detention center. He is released on good behavior, and works at a surfboard manufacturing place, taken in by the owner who looks after troubled youth. Katayama learns of Kamiki's release through a probation officer, who asks him to let things be. But Katayama wants justice. His previous attempts, plus his being vocal about killing Kamiki has placed the local cops on alert. He misleads the probation officer by stating that he only wants to see Kamiki, if only to confirm that he is a reformed man. He had been looking for him, but Kamiki, is now under another name. The probation officer takes him to the surfboard place. Katayama sees, him, and runs out from the car and confronts him. The cops have to break it up, and deliver Katayama a stern waning. Kamiki, however, seems to revert to old form, calling on his old chums to monitor Katayama. One of his friends, however, now has a wife and child, and is reluctant to do his bidding. He also had ran into Katayama earlier in his search for Kamiki. But Kamiki threatens his daughter's life, and makes arrangements for a meeting between him, Kamiki, and Katayama. Kamiki in the meantime, purchases guns and ammo online, delivering them to some kids from the old neighborhood, who are enthralled with the weapons. They beat up and shoot the convenience store owner, where at the beginning of the film the initial incident took place. The probation officer is kidnapped by Kamiki, and is used to draw Katayama to the meeting place. He finds Kamiki's friend, dead, and is ambushed by Kamiki's gang. Katayama dispatches the kids one by one, and has it out with Kamiki, and kills the teen. The film ends with Katayama, dying, on top of the building, as the sun rises above.

Scars of the Sun is similar to the excellent The Negotiator in tone, look and subject matter -- that there are systemic problems with Japanese law that allows for people to act criminally, and get away with it. Here it is the troubled teen, those kids who have grown up in an age without rules or mores. According to the film a thirteen year old cannot be sentenced to death nor life in prison for murdering someone -- because of their age, they "don't know what they're doing," and it is more important to rehabilitate them so they can return to society. To Kamiki, this gives them a free pass, a license to kill. Katayma is an interesting character: although he seems like a meek architect, he can more than handle his own against the young thugs, in fisticuffs and with a gun. How is that? It's one of the few things I find questionable in a very good film. To me it is part classic Kurosawa and part Battle Royale, without the over the top violence of the latter. While the average Miike fan might be disappointed that this isn't like DOA or Iichi, this is a thoughtful and well made film that shows Miike's diverseness as a director, and the social commentary of the film ought to keep him as one of the top (if not THE man) directors of Japan. Recommended.

Mad Detective

Mad Detective is yet another terrific crime drama from the production house of Johnny To, this time directed by Wai-Ka Fai, who also teamed with him on Running on Karma, which starred Andy Lau in a muscle outfit, which was mildly disturbing. This is also an odd film, but the madness lies in its main character, Bun, played by Lau Ching-Wan, a police inspector who has the unusual ability to see the inner self or spirit of people. This paranormal power has made him a famed detective on the level of Sherlock Holmes, but his deductive ability comes not from logic but from raw emotion. He has to reenact a crime to feel it in the first person, and from there he can put together the pieces of the puzzle to solve a case. It also makes him crazy. He loses his wife -- also an investigator, but recreates her in his mind as a companion. He also loses his job when, during the departure of his long time boss, he offers his ear to him as a retirement present.

A year later, a cop comes to Bun in need of help. Ho Ka-On (Andy On), is involved in a case where a fellow cop has gone missing for many months. However, in a couple of recent crimes, a gun was used and analyzing the bullets, it was found that it belonged to the missing cop. Ho has been on this case for a long time, and is running out of leads. Bun, after arguing with his imaginary spouse, agrees to help. He finds that there were two different people who used the same gun, one being the cop's ex partner and an Indian criminal who was still at large. Bun intuits that the ex partner is the murderer, and after meeting him finds that he is a sick yet complex character, having seven different inner selves. But Bun's involvement in the case makes him more and more unstable -- while working with Ho, who is simulating the burying of the cop's body in a park, Bun steals Ho's badge and gun. He bursts into the local police office where the ex partner works, and rifles through his desk and locker. Bun believes that the ex partner had murdered the cop and had his gun stolen by the Indian crook, and has been after him ever since, to get his gun back. The gun he is currently using is the murdered cop's, and he switched the serial numbers on the computer. Ho doesn't learn any of this until very late in the game. He starts to lose faith in Bun, believing that Bun is stark raving mad, and is scared that this could end up badly for him and his career. After talking to Bun, Ho tries one last time to believe him, and arrests the ex partner, but since his gun's serial number matches the owner, now the ex partner, Ho comes to the conclusion that he made a terrible mistake. The ex partner is let go, and instead of filing charges, tells Ho that they are both after the same thing, to solve the crime and put the Indian behind bars. They head off together in search for the Indian, and on a tip, they find him in a building. Bun has followed them, still trying to convince Ho through the cell phone that the ex partner is the killer. There is a four way standoff in the warehouse, and the ex partner kills the Indian, who stated before he died that it has the ex partner who had killed the cop. Ho shoots Bun, thinking that Bun has lost it completely, and Bun kills the ex partner. But Ho realizes that Bun was right all along, and as Bun dies concocts a scheme to prove his story true and end the case.

Blind Mountain

A selected film for the 2007 Cannes Film festival, Blind Mountain is a disturbing look at a form of marriage in China. A young college graduate is looking for a job, and after several months with no results, is desperate to find work to help support her parents. She befriends a young woman who has a lead on work that would take them to the countryside for several months. But upon arriving at a remote farming village in the mountains, she is drugged and her ID papers and wallet are stolen. She wakes up, alone and in a house where the people there claim that they bought her to be the wife of their son. Horrified, she tries to escape, but everyone -- the family and the villagers, conspire to keep her there, and there is only one way in or out of the town. After a mini hunger strike, refusing to participate with her new family, she is raped by the son, who needs help from his friends to consumate the marriage. She accepts her situation only to be able to move about the town, and meets other young women who have also been abducted. Some have accepted their fate, having born several children; in one case, a woman was crippled to prevent from escaping. She befriends the village teacher, who benefited from only having a high school education, and also wants to leave the village. They have an affair, and plan an escape, but it becomes clear that he was using her sexually, making promises to leave but never doing so. Their affair is discovered, and he is exiled from the village. The young woman sends letters to her family, but they are intercepted and destroyed. She escapes twice, but is captured both times -- once on the mountain road, and the second right out of a bus in a large town many miles away. At no time anyone comes to help her from being abducted. Finally, she becomes pregnant and has the child, a son. If it was to be a daughter, the baby would have been drowned, like another child whose body was discovered in the nearby river. She makes friends with one of the children, who arranges to mail one of her letters. This time it goes through, and her father appears several moths later, with a police escort. But they meet such resistance from the villagers that the officials have to go back to the town to get reinforcements, and the father stays with his daughter. The family tries to steal her away again before the police come back, but while beating up the father, the young woman has had enough, and kills the husband with a knife.

Into the Abyss - Kudo Eiichi's Eleven Samurai

The Eleven Samurai is one of the great samurai films. No question about it. Having watched it, I am amazed that I have never seen this appear on video tape in the U.S., much less on dvd until now. Other than a mention in the year by year film listings in Alain Silver's excellent book The Samurai Film, he does not include this of any other Kudo Eiichi film in his discussions. What gives? This is right up there with Gosha Hideo's Goyokin and Akira Kurosawa's Seven Samurai.

It is the early 19th century in Japan. Nariatsu, a high ranking official and son of the former Shogun, is engaged in an animal hunt. In his reckless pursuit of the game, he crosses borders to a neighboring fief and kills a peasant who happens to be in his way. The lord of that fief also happens to be nearby, and witnessing the incident, calls him out on his ruthlessness. Nariastu kills him as well. This murder is covered up by the government, and blame is placed on the dead lord and his fief is slated for disbandment, to be incorporated by the shogun. The dead lord's samurai will not accept this fate. Reckless attempts are made against Nariastu, who frequents a local brothel. A semi organized attempt by a group of samurai is thwarted by the dead lord's chamberlain, who through a contrived sentencing of his own men to commit seppoku, is looking for recruits himself. Ten men and one woman are brought together, later, a ronin joins them, and they bide their time until the time to strike is ripe. Plots and counterplots are hatched by both sides, as all are trying to gain the upper hand of the situation. Nariatsu's chamberlain conceives a devious plan to transport Nariatsu back to his own fief using horses instead of the slower moving entourage; also, he works with the shogun's official to convince the dead lord's chamberlain that the shogun is favoring their side in the matter, and that Nariatsu is punished. All this does is halts a well planned ambush in the forest by the samurai. Once the chamberlain discovers that he was deceived, he mortally wounds himself, then rushes back to his men to tell them of the deception. Furious, they rush after Nariatsu in the pouring rain, attempting to cut them off at the river, which if they cross, Nariatsu would be safe. Nariatsu, in his final act of arrogance, refuses to cross in the downpour, electing to stay at a house nearby an let the storm pass. This gives the samurai enough time to reach them, cut the boats free from the shore, and attack the group. A furious battle ensues, and all are killed. Nariatsu is slain fleeing from a riverside shack, crying out to his men for help. The lone survivor is the ronin, who cuts Nariastu's head off and walks away.

This is a gritty, no nonsense film that is filled with tension and intrigue, climaxing in one of the great battle scenes in cinema, lasting almost 30 minutes. The actors are superb -- Natsuyagi Isao, Otomo Ryutaro, Satomi Kotaro, Nishimura Ko, Okawa Keiko, Sato Kei, Miyazono Junko, Nambara Koji are all familiar faces in 60's samurai cinema. Again, the black and white film adds greatly to the dreaded atmosphere of a corrupt world that is in its last dying days. Like in his other film, The Great Killing, Eiichi keeps a quick pace, a documentary like camera style, but Eleven Samurai goes further in the planning and build up of scenes -- first the botched assassination attempt in the brothel, and again in the forest. Not even Kurosawa could have bettered the handling of these very suspenseful moments. Eiichi is also clearly a master of the fight scene. The climactic fight near the river is well staged; the pouring rain, the men fighting in the mud, the amazingly graphic suicide of several of the avenging samurai stage by loading themselves with explosive powder, and throwing themselves into the fire, killing them and several other men. Again, Eiichi's films are a revelation, and hopefully these films will gain greater attention in the States. Go to your trusted internet store for Japanese films and buy this. It's a classic!

Rediscovered Classic - Kudo Eiichi's The Great Killing

A belated happy New Year! It's been a while, I know. It's not like I have stopped watching films, it's just that there haven't been ones that have compelled me to write about it in my blog. And, with very few exceptions, the current crop of Asian films (from my narrow point of view, renting and buying what has come out on dvd) hasn't been that great. I am annoyed by the current trend that certain Korean companies have done to the translations on the dvds. For instance, Secret Sunshine, a South Korean award winning film, has the worst English translations of all time -- instead of having someone translate, they used Babelfish instead. For those who don't know, click on the link. Japan hasn't put anything out lately that isn't anime or fantasy/sci fi/horror related, and even then it's not up to their usual standards. Hong Kong is still cranking out comedies and gangster dramas, and an action film once in a while, but with few exceptions (Fruit Chan, Johnny To, and Wong Kar Wai in particular) it isn't like it was before the Handover. Which leads me to this film, an oldie from the 1960's that had me riveted to the tube the moment I popped it into my dvd player.

The Great Killing is a story about a revolt against the Edo government for the increase of taxes on the farmers, which only favors the wealthy and powerful. Rumors of the imminent uprising reach the government, and orders go out to arrest all those suspected of being involved. Samurai, merchants, and even an official are arrested. One newlywed samurai, not involved in the plot, becomes involved when a friend staggers into his home and begs him for asylum. Unfortunately, he was followed, and chaos ensues as the soldiers chase and arrest the samurai, and the friend and the samurai's wife are killed. While under arrest, the samurai meets with the suspected official, who is being pressured to confess. But neither he nor any of the other suspects reveal anything, some going so far as to commit suicide. This puts pressure on the government, because of the lack of any evidence of a plot. Also, religious festivals are upcoming, and the arrested official also happens to be head of coordinating the ceremonies. It would be bad if these important traditions were canceled, so the man in charge of the government investigation has only five days to find the truth. The samurai and the official are released. The samurai meets up with a mysterious young woman who steers him away from instant vengeance to a house where her uncle is helping those to overthrow the government. Among the motley crew are a drunken gambler, and a man who is posing as a monk and hiding at the local monastery to avoid being arrested. The samurai and the young woman sleep together, as more of a promise to fight for a righteous cause rather than lovemaking. The monk, however is nuts. The desire for vengeance burns right through him, and he rapes the young woman when she comes to find him. This incident causes her to question her reasons and methods for fighting, and she tells the samurai that while she will no longer sacrifice or demean herself for her cause, she wants to do right in the world, and he understands. The group concocts a plan where in order for the revolt to be successful, the chancellor must die. To get him, they find that on the day he is to leave the castle, they set up natural roadblocks which direct his entourage through the local red light district, and there they will ambush the chancellor. The big day arrives, and the group heads out, but the monk strays behind, and tries to rape the woman again, but she fights him off this time, and infuriated, he strangles her and runs after the group. They buy horses from the local farmers, and the samurai rides them towards the entourage, blocking their exit, so they are forced into the district. A great battle ensues, and all of the rebels are killed. The chancellor thinks his side has won, but an official who sees the samurai's dead body and the broken sword in his hand decides to take up where he had left off, and kills the chancellor. The head official, realizing that his personal quest for more power is over, and that their current government is now on the verge of collapse, goes insane.

A samurai film of the highest order, The Great Killing combines sensibilities of many of the contemporary Japanese directors, Misumi, Gosha, Kurosawa, and Kobayashi, without emualting any of them. A few things stand out in this film: one is the documentary like camera work, as in the scene where the arrested men are awaiting their fate, and in the fantastic battle scene at the end, where the camera is so close to the action it actually bumps against some of the protagonists, and is spayed with blood and water. Another is the low point of view, which is similar to what one sees in Ozu's films, but the purpose here is more menacing and claustrophobic. Kudo Eiichi was a journeyman director who in the 50's did a few Hibari Misora films, and established connections as he started to rise through the ranks and got better material to work with. This film, 13 Assassins and the 11 Samurai are considered his masterworks, and went into television in the 70's. He is best known for directing the popular Sonny Chiba tv series Shadow Warriors. The Great Killing is an excellent genre film that does not fall into stereotypes, but depicts a world of unrest, populated by people who, good or bad, are facing the abyss. Highest recommendation!

Madcap Action Adventure - High Risk

Sometimes you can stumble across a good film in the cheap pile at the store or online. For a dollar I picked up High Risk, not just because of the price, and the stars (James Coburn, James Brolin, Clevon Little, Ernest Borgnine, Anthony Quinn, Lindsay Wagner!), but the high recommendations that I got from friends who share my eccentric tastes in films. The opening credits immediately establishes the plot -- four guys get together for a seemingly innocent weekend of fishing and hunting, when in fact they are heading down to Columbia for an improbable heist of five million dollars from a local drug lord. James Brolin is the leader of the bunch, tired of the years of hard work for little pay, and dreams of a big pay off. His partners in crime - Clevon Little (yes, from Blazing Saddles), Bruce Davison and Chick Venerra. Ernest Borgnine is the arms dealer who provides them with a small arsenel to defend themselves, and they hook up with a charter plane run by two ex hippy vets who fly them down to Columbia. They parachute down, and gathering their things, they proceed to the drug lord's headquarters. They break in, steal the money right from drug lord James Coburn, and take off. The resulting gunfight and chase splits the group into two - Little and Venerra are captured by the local police, and tossed in a filthy local town jail, where they make friends with another American, Lindsay Wagner. Little and Venerra convince a couple of locals to bust them out of jail, and they take off in their underwear - their clothes were used as the rope to pull off the bars. Wagner follows. They escape on a bus, and head off towards their arranged meeting place, with their share of the money. Brolin and Davison have a harder time. They run into local bandits, headed by Anthony Quinn, who take their money, beat them up and threaten to kill them. They escape, taking some weapons, and Brolin convinces his partner to go after them to get the money. In the middle of the night they attack, killing a couple of the bandits and making off with the money. They all reunite at a waterfall, near the place where the airplane will come to pick them up. Quinn and the bandits are not to be deterred, for they are in hot pursuit, and wound two of the Americans, but Brolin fends them off long enough for them to get a head start. They reach the plane, but it is an old rusty hulk. The bandits seemingly have them cornered, but Coburn and his cartel manage to disrupt things when they show up, and the resulting shootout thins both enemy parties. During this time, the cavalry finally shows up, in the form of the American plane and the two ex vets launching into Vietnam mode, as they lay waste to the cartel and the bandits with bombs and heavy machine gun fire. The Americans jump on board, injured, scared, with one extra passenger (Wagner), and five million richer. The end.

The plot ain't Shakespeare, nor is it Alister MacLean. It's a no nonsense, non stop action film that doesn't pause for believable story, it just runs with what it has and asks the viewer to enjoy the ride. I found it to be a fun, ninety minute diversion that satisfied my need for a little humor, a lot of action, and nothing to try my grey matter. There should be more films made like this today, but everybody is too busy attempting to make masterpieces or epic films. This was an independently made film made around 1980, with name actors and a decent budget. Recommended!

More Kurosawa!

An early Christmas special from Criterion, through their Eclipse line. A collection of five films by Akira Kurosawa from 1946 to 56, appearing briefly on video in the 90's, but making their first US dvd appearances here. They are: I Live in Fear, The Idiot, No Regrets for Our Youth, One Wonderful Sunday, and Scandal. I have seen all of these films, and all are highly recommended, especially I Live in Fear and The Idiot, one of my favorite Kurosawa films (also his most atypical film, a bit swarmy for some but it pushed all the right buttons for me). No word on a release date, but with the Saura box set already released this week, I bet they will try to get this out before Christmas. Regardless, a mandatory purchase.

Korean Period Horror - The Evil Twin

A young woman awakes from a ten year long coma. Her last memory was of drowning with her sister in the nearby river. Her reawakening provokes rumor and fear among her friends and the villagers, as strange things begin to occur. Finally, one by one, people once close to her start to die.....

The Evil Twin is an anomaly in the contemporary horror scene -- a historical period piece that relies on suspense and the terror that is imagined, not necessarily seen. Thanks to a stronger than average storyline, which falls under a classic film noir suspense tale of lost identity, Evil Twin fuses that with the doppleganger twin that is so common in asian horror, to create something different. Park Shin-Hye plays So-Yeon, the heroine who reawakens to a world much older and different than she last remembered. Her displacement becomes an effective way to show the unfolding of events that follow, as layers for truth are revealed, about her friends, her family, and finally, herself. Hyo-Jin is her twin sister in the tale, and while at first she seems like another long haired demon girl a la the Ring, she is mostly in the background until the end, and when she does appear, she is genuinely creepy. No shock music or backward motion special effects, just atmosphere and silence, which deliver a real onimous feel to her presence. Yang Geum-Seok plays So-Yeon's mother, a woman with a guilt in her heart about a choice she had to make in the past. So-Yeon and Hyo-Jin were the classic good girl/bad girl, not necessarily good/evil, but one gaining more favor than the other - So-Yeon is promised to be married, a favor not gained by Hyo-Jin (this being at a very young age, as was the custom). That conflict affects how her friends treat her, because, and this is a key point, everyone thinks So-Yeon is her sister, because of the bracelet belonging to her sister was found on her wrist when she was rescued. The visuals are excellent, although the dvd transfer I saw the blacks came out as deep blues in certain key moments, and I don't know if that was when they added some special effects or if it was just a bad transfer. The entire film has an old-school feel, and reading other reviews of this film, I see that it is indeed a throwback to the ghost story films of the 60's in South Korea. It also reminds be of the Val Lewton films of the 40's, though there are a couple of brief grisly moments. The ending too reminds me of another film, the Japanese version of Dark Water, with the mother having to make the decision that she thought she should have made years ago, a choice as to which daughter she should save from drowning. The moment is touching and powerful, as is this above average horror film, which once again proves that a good story is more effective than cheap shocks to thrill the viewer. Recommended.

Shim's Family or Skeletons in the Closet

Skeletons in the Closet is a surprisingly good comedy about a middle class South Korean family who are all in a rut in their lives. Chun Ho-Jin is the father, an english teacher at a local high school who no longer makes love to his wife (Moon He-Kyung), and takes her for granted. He also has an unemployed sister in law (Kim Hye-Soo) comic book author who leeches off of them, and a son (Yu A-In) and daughter who both are just getting by in the same school that he teaches. The son is madly in love with another student (Jeung Yo-Mi), a girl who practices ballet and is a prostitute. One evening Mr. Shim sees a prostate body of a young woman in the subway. It is Jeung Yo-Mi, and there is a lot of blood between her legs. He picks her up and is going to take her to the hospital, but she begs him to take her to a motel and get some hygenic stuff so treat her wound, and he does. Together they stay overnight, Mr. Shim feeling uneasy as he knows the implications of an older man with a young girl in a motel. But nothing happens between the two of them -- until the cell phone, which Mr. Shim has confiscated from a student who was text messaging in class, is returned, and a video is discovered on the phone, of him and the student in bed. It is placed on the internet, on a Youtube like site, and a scandal erupts. The Shim family falls prey to the social pressures of the scandal. Mrs. Shim, in the meantime, is looking for some value after being treated as a slave by her family. She develops a crush on a young man who runs a karaoke bar, and is a promoter for a local coffee firm. He talks her into going to a retreat at a coffee company, which is essentially a recruiting camp. At first she is crushed that she wasn't going on a date with the young man; however, she finds some value in the process and impresses her family with her new coffeemaker (which works during a power outage and plays music), and a revived spiritual confidence in herself -- through coffee. The daughter lives in a dream world where she hates her family, is not particularly good looking, and writes a journal of her fantasies on her computer. The sister in law does nothing of importance except maintain a large comic book collection, writing stories and doing nothing for herself. She was coming out of a lousy relationship with a man who just plays around. All of them are shocked out of their hum drum existence with Mr. Shim's scandal. During a hot evening there is a blackout, and the family goes to the riverside, where the community has rigged a camp where they will watch a soccer game on power generators. People eat and generally have a good time, until the Shims are confronted by a neighboring family, who are outraged that their poodle was violated by the Shim's family dog. A fight breaks out, and the Shims unite to fight the neighbors and all the scandal and bad vibes that have been hanging over them. They run back home in separate paths, the daughter commenting through a voice over that this was the first time ever that she had so wanted to be back home. The scandal blows over, and Mr. Shim continues to be a teacher. The sister in law resumes a career as a writer, Mrs Shim is given more respect and the two children clean up their act.

There has been a run of really bland or awful Korean comedies lately. This is an exception. Director Chung Yoon-chul (Marathon) has put together a tight and atypical comedy of a South Korean family with problems. There are no heart tugging moments or overwrought sappy drama. It is filmed in a style similar to a film like the Royal Tennabaums, a no nonsense approach to the subject matter that places emphasis on the characters and not style. The outdoor fight scene is the funniest and best part of the film, as it is where the Shims' finally deal with all their problems by asserting themselves for the first time. Shim's Family is a clever look at one modern family, warts and all, and finds the heart and pulse that keeps them united. Recommended.

Life

Y'know, things just get in the way. Important things, like family, work, and health, all of which were in flux these past few months. So, after a long delay, let's resume with the reviews, shall we?

A Korean TV Jewel - Dae Jang Geum

I've spent the better part of the past couple of months being entranced by this wildly popular television series from South Korea, which has led to not as many reviews as I normally do. But it has been a well worthwhile diversion; one of a handful of series that I am sorry to see end. Dae Jang Geum, the title character played by Lee Yeong-ae (seen in Lady Vengeance, a much different character), who we follow from birth to her 30's. A kitchen court lady, Lady Yun, of the Chosun king was sentenced to death by her peers, a victim of court politics as she was a witness to a doctoring of food served to the Queen Mother, who fell ill. Jang Geum is her daughter, who endures and survives incredible challenges to enter the palace as a young girl, work in the court kitchen, is exiled, returns as a physician lady, and becomes the highest ranking woman in Chosun history, being the king's physician, scandalous at that time. Running at 54 episodes, I would suffer hand cramps from detailing a full synopsis, but there is a decent one on Wikipedia, which is fairly detailed. This historical drama came out in 2002-2003, and commanded one of the largest viewing audiences of all time in several countries. Apparently the sets formed the basis for a Jang Geum theme park, which I find odd, as you see a lot of the palace and not too much else. What elevates this above the standard drama or soap opera is partly the movie serial qualities -- how Jang Geum gets in and out of trouble is almost laughable, like a political Perils of Pauline -- and the heroine being an idealized person infused with both traditional and modern ideas. She is the one person in the court who is devoted to family and work without using it for personal gain or power, and it is this naivety that gets her into trouble, especially from the evil Lady Choi, once her mother's friend and now a main threat to the harmony of the palace. Towards the end of the series, Jang Geum has accomplished so much, defeating the Lady Choi and other elements in the castle, that she ends up being the physician to the king -- the motivations for which are explained by several of her friends in oddly modern talk for women's rights. She eventually leaves the castle, forced out by the court officials who saw her as an affront to tradition and authority, and marries her sweetheart. At the show's worst it can get repetitive and weepy (gallons of fake tears must have been used), but it never steeps down to the level of tawdry soap opera gunk. Courtly politics has always been a good plot device, from shows as diverse as I Claudius, Dune, Shogun, to Upstairs Downstairs. The pacing is mostly well done, with lots of cliffhangers, but also smartly the resolutions and directional changes are made in the middle of the hour long episode, so things are given a chance to unfold. There are a huge world of characters, most of whom are well developed. High points are the kitchen court lady battles for Head Lady supremacy, with its Iron Chef camera angles and savory food shots; the death of Lady Han, Jang Geum's mentor and friend, the "revenge" on Lady Choi and her family, after which everything becomes an extended epilogue, as Lady Choi was an incredible foil to her. The music got to be annoying, even though they did try to change it several times during the series, and they only served as emotional or dramatic accents. Having done a little bit of research, it is clear that 99% of this historical fiction is just that, fiction, it nevertheless is very entertaining and worth the enormous viewing time. Highest recommendation!

Corporate warfare - Black Test Car

Fantoma continues to reissue the films of Yasuzo Masumura, this time with the splendid film Black Test Car, released in 1962. Hideo Takamatsu stars as Onoda, a corporate official who works for the Tiger automobile company. He is asked to create an espionage division, to find out what car the rival company Yamato is creating, as well as protecting Tiger's assets. Both companies are competing to develop a sports car, Tiger's the Pioneer, and Yamato's Mypet. The opening scene of the movie shows a car wrapped in black fabric performing a test drive, which ends badly with a crash on the test road. It is the Pioneer, and its development has been uneven, as there has been great pressure on every department to make this car work. Yamato has sent agents to find out about the rival car, bribing engineers and threatening contractors into revealing Tiger's secret information of the car. Onoda has two of his best men, Ashahina and Hiraki, set up a task force to find out about what car Yamato is making. They employ tactics that are no better than Yamato's -- kidnapping contractors and bribing company men involved with the car's production. Even worse, Ashahina coerces his girlfriend into being a bar hostess where Yamato's executives hang out, and date the head executive. She and Ashahina are engaged, but his obsessive drive to help out his company, and his increasing immoral acts begin to drive them apart, her being his moral conscience which drives doubt into his soul. The schemes and action on both companies escalate, rivaling yakuza tactics. Yamato's new car looks exactly like the Pioneer, to the Tiger company's dismay. Ashahima learns that the corporate executives on both sides -- including Onoda -- were soldiers in Tojo's army during the war, many of them committing many war crimes, which explains their callousness. Finally, the Pioneer is put into production, trying to come out before the Mypet, and there immediately ensues a price war. Tiger makes the mistake of settling on a price, which Yamato matches, minus an x amount to be determined on the day of its release. Ashahina, in a desperate final attempt to find out the price, bullies his girlfriend into sleeping with the executive to find out what the amount is. She does, at the cost of ending their relationship. The Pioneer sells well early on, but a rigged car crash of one model owned by a corrupt official causes controversy. Yamato conducts a secret campaign against the Pioneer, only to have it backfire as their attempts are exposed, and the company disgraced. Ashahina, finally seeing the amoral ways of his boss and coworkers, leaves the company, and in doing so regains his girlfriend.

This is an excellent film by Masamura, whose place in cinema has increased with each dvd reissue. Voicing the moral conscience against an increasingly corrupt world, Masamura's films explore the mindsets, strategies and relations of people in modern Japanese society. Directors like Juzo Itami must have been influenced by his work. It was filmed in black and white, which lends a kind of noir aspect, as a lot of action was done at night or in claustrophobic interiors. Cinematographers have to take a look at this film; every scene is composed masterfully. If you like films like Kurosawa's The Bad Sleep Well, or Itami's Taxing Woman, this is a must see.

A Tale from the Floating World - Ooku

Released in 2006, Ooku is a period film that examines courtly intrigue and one woman's fleeting moment of happiness in a life of service to her Emperor. It is based on a hit television series of the same name. Ooku is a section of the Edo Castle where the Emperor's women reside - concubines, family, servants. During the Tokugawa era, it was believed to be a source of political intrigue. Nakama Yukie (Shinobi) stars as Lady Eijima, a court lady who is best friends with Lady Gekoin, the mother of the current Shogun Tokugawa, who is only 7 years old and of frail health. Lady Gekoin is romantically involved with Lord Echizen, a court advisor, and rumors of this relationship threatens to cause chaos in the inner court. Lady Tenelin, the widow of the former Shogun, is scheming against Lady Gekoin. Aware of a possible affair, Tenelin sets a trap by planning to use a Kabuki actor to seduce Lady Eijima, and using that affair as leverage to force her into exposing her friend's affair. But Lady Eijima is savvy to her schemes, and proves to be a loyal and honest court lady. Until the Kabuki actor, through circumstances (a fire in the theater) and some well planned events, manages to finally seduce her in an evening of bliss. What the actor didn't count on was actually falling in love with her. He refuses to carry through with the plot, even though Tenelin exposes their affair, and he his crucified. Eijima is expelled from the castle, saved from being executed by Gekoin's intervention, but Gekoin's affair is never revealed, even when the young Tokugawa dies. Eijima lives holding on to the short but beautiful memory of the love and happiness she felt that one evening.

This is a gorgeous film to look at. Not since Kurosawa's Ran have I been mesmorized by the colors and textures in a film. They went all out to portray a living breathing "floating world," and it works. The acting is above average, and the plot is decent enough. The only thing that prevents me from deliriously raving about this film is the directing, who I understand was the television director for the series. Not that he did a bad job; it just needed a firmer grip on the pacing and direction of the story, which does slow down when it pays too much attention to itself. I'm being very picky, of course, and it is nice to see a top quality Japanese film tackling period history with care and detail. Recommended.

Tazza: The High Rollers

A hit film in 2006, Tazza: The High Rollers is a quality drama from South Korea. "Tazza" is Korean slang for a gambler, dealing with the card game hwatu - palm sized cards with black backs. It looks like a combination of poker and blackjack -- each player gets a pair of cards, and the highest combination wins. Based on a Korean comic book, director Choi Dong-Hoon (The Big Swindle, yet another clever crime film) delivers a complex, well-paced 2/1/2 hour epic story of Go-Ni (Cho-Seung-Woo), from wannabe player to master hustler, told in flashback by ex-girlfriend and vindictive rival Madame Jung (played by the stunning Kim Hye-Soo, who won an award for her role). Go-Ni starts off as a small time gambler who loses everything to a better player. Realizing that he was swindled out of his family's savings (stolen from his sister), Go-Ni seeks revenge, but knows he has to become a beter player. He meets Pyeong (Baek Yoon-Sik, from Save the Green Planet), a master player, who becomes his teacher. Pyeong shows him the psychology of the game as well as playing the cards. He introduces him to Madame Jeung, who organizes the games, and assists him in hustling the opponents. They also become lovers. Soon, Go-Ni becomes an excellent player, and is seduced by the thrill of play and deceiving the opponents, as well as the financial rewards. That worries Pyeong, who has been there, and tells him not to get addicted. But Madame Jeung's influence over Go-Ni is to strong, and he leaves Pyeong. Pyeong is later killed on a train leaving the city, the murderer unknown. Go-Ni and Madame Jeung become a formidable pair, becoming successful wherever they go, only to be busted by the cops during one session. Madame Jeung is arrested, but Go-Ni, along with another player, One Ear, who actually beats him in a game. One Ear turns out to be, along with Go-Ni, one of the three best players in South Korea, the other being a man called Agwee. Madame Jeung serves time, and becomes bitter at being abandoned by Go-Ni. Time passes, and she is released from prison, and starts anew by seducing a wealthy businessman and setting him up for a big hustle, as he is an enthusiastic card player. She reforms a network of people who enforce her will, all the while pretending to be a demure and sweet girlfriend. Go-Ni, in the meantime, has fallen in love with a woman who runs a local bar/cafe. She is the polar opposite of Madame Jeung, and some one who hates gambling. Go-Ni wins a match against a businessman, who turns out to be a local mob boss, and knows that he had been swindled. He sends his men out for payback, and they find the girlfriend's business and disrupt it, holding her and her friend hostage. Go-Ni, in hiding, strikes a deal with the boss and agrees to work for him if he lets them go. Amid all this, Madame Jeung finds Go-Ni, and with Agwee, sets up a card match which becomes a final showdown for all involved on a ship. Her boyfriend finally becomes aware of what is happening, but loses his shirt, and can only watch as the others battle it out in the ultimate high-stakes game. Agwee stops Go-Ni from winning the match by insisting that he was dealing from the bottom of the deck, and that the card drawn was to favor Madame Jeung's hand with a matching pair. They each bet their hands -- Go-Ni insists that he did not cheat. Madame Jeung has her enforcer, the assassin who murdered Pyeong on orders from her, to tie their right hands up and to chop off the hand of the loser. Agwee is stunned to find out that Go-Ni was telling the truth, and loses his hand. Go-Ni beats up the assassin, and sets fire to the huge pile of money, to Madame Jeung's astonishment. He leaves as the cops arrive, the ship in flames.

One of the best Korean dramas in a long time, Tazza is a well told, beautifully photographed noir-like tale that grabs the viewer from start to finish. The acting is excellent and the direction tight and well paced. Kim Hye-Soo is outstanding as the seductive and cold blooded Madame Jeung; a femme fatale for the ages, slinking across the screen in form fitting and low cut outfits, oozing sexuality and yet the deadliest woman one could come across. Cho-Seung-Woo as Go-Ni does a fine job as well. Highly recommended!

My Wife is a Gangster 3

My Wife is a Gangster 3 is the latest in the financially blockbuster comedy action series from South Korea. This installment has nothing to do with the other two -- Eun-kyung Shin is not even in this, instead Shu Qi does the honors. She stars as Aryoung, the daughter of a Korean woman and a Hong Kong gangster, who at the beginning of the film causes an incident when while performing a sword dance in front of a gathering of triads. There was already tension between the international gangs, and Aryoung stabbing one of the other henchmen didn't help matters. So for protection, she is sent off to Korea under the custody of a major gang there. The Korean boss entrusts her to Ki-Chul (Beom-Su Lee), a loyal yet simple minded henchman with his two bumbling sidekicks. They hire a translator, Yeon-Hee, who is stunned to learn that she has to work for a bunch of mullet headed lowlife thugs. But she does do her job, mastering the fine art of translation by not exactly saying things word for word, but to make nice between the two parties. Aryoung is a guest; however disinterested and pushy she seems to be. Ki-Chul and his men can't figure her out, though after a drinking binge, Aryoung demonstrates her martial arts mastery by dispatching a couple of men from a rival gang. Word gets around. Her "secret" is revealed, and in Hong Kong, a group of assassins are sent to dispose of the woman. Ki-Chul and Aryoung have a series of comedic misunderstandings, with most of the jokes on Ki-Chul, until they are all brought in before a gang that wanted payback for Aryoung's beatings. Ki-Chul gamely tries to defend her, but he's simply all bark and no bite -- he gets his ass kicked. Aryoung again saves them by defeating the rival gang. This beating of the gang gets Ki-Chul promoted in rank within his own group, much to everyone's surprise, probably due to his taking care of Aryoung. Eventually they find that the other groups know where Aryoung is, and they go into hiding, Ki-Chul and Aryoung separating from the others to hide in Ki-Chul's family house with his parents. The father, knowing how to write Chinese, talks with Aryoung, and finds that she has a passing interest in his son. The assassins find them and try to kill Aryoung, but are easily dispatched. Aryoung's father is mortally injured in an explosion at a Hong Kong restaurant, after meeting with the rival triad boss. She leaves for home, taking a pendant from Ki-Chul, a gift from his mother, and he confesses his love for her. In Hong Kong, Aryoung and the remaining members of her father's group are hiding in the slums. She resolves to kill the rival boss. During the boss' son's wedding ceremony, Aryoung poses as the bride to be, and tries to assassinate the boss. Carnage ensues, with her father's gang backing her up, along with Ki-Chul, who arrived to see her, under the pretense of returning her mom's photo, whom she had finally met in Korea, but only from a distance. Ki-Chul distracts the boss long enough for Aryoung to kill him, but Ki-Chul falls over the top of the building and manages to land in a dump truck, much to her relief. Ki-Chul heads back to Korea, but is stopped by Aryoung, who wants to marry him, and he accepts.

This movie is all parts and no whole. It feels overmanaged; that they had to include so many things to hide the fact that there is no plot, no strong character interaction, nothing. Shu Qi and the always good Beom-Su Lee have nothing to work with, and they seem lost at times with their characters. Their relationship never really develops, in spite of the screen time they have together. The bonding moment -- when Aryoung is sitting on top of Ki-Chul while driving down a hill, both gasping in erotic delight because he's sporting a hard on, is just silly. What she sees in him we never truly understand. Really, the best person in the film is the woman who plays the translator, Yeon-Hee, who is a riot, starting off as a timid translator to a loud mouthed, gorgeous fireball who rightfully puts down the men for their antics and attitudes. The assassin fight scene was a waste. The ending was by the numbers. Having said that, this film is a lot better than #2 in the series, which was atrocious, but still pales to the classic first movie. Shu Qi fans will be entertained by her presence, and she is great eye candy, but she has proven that she can act, though not here. She was much better in So Close. Rent on a rainy night.

Classic Kobayashi - Inn of Evil

Coming on the heels of the classics Kwaidan and Samurai Rebellion, Kobayashi's Inn of Evil was released in 1970, centering on a small group of rogues who live in an inn on a small island near a port city. The inn provides harbor for the transport of goods from foreign ships and local officials, who provide them cover in return for a cut of money. Nadakai Tetsuya stars as a ronin who has fallen on hard times, and spends his time running errands for the innkeeper and drinking. A young man finds refuge there. He is mourning for the loss of his fiancee, who was sold into prostitution by her father to pay off debts. He ends up helping around the inn, but his yearning for his love, and the attempts to try to get her back against all odds touches Nadakai. He takes up the cause even though the attempt would be suicide -- the brothel has high class connections. The innkeeper sees that the time is coming to a close for the inn -- new officials have taken over the city, and the inn is no longer under any protection. Calls to wipe out the island of its bad elements are strong, and plans are made by the officials. Nadakai convinces the others to take up the young man's cause; to do something noble even though there is nothing in it for them. The initial attempt to free the woman is a disaster; out of the three sent, only Nadakai survives. The innkeeper kicks everyone out of the inn, to save their lives. But they all return, one by one, to fight on their home ground, as the military forces surround them. The rogues pitch one terrific battle, protecting the young man, so he can be reunited with his love. All are killed, but the young man gets away. The following day, the reunited couple returns to the inn and sees the devestation.

This is a good film that has yet to see the light of day on dvd in the States - check out the usual ebay or internet dealers who have an amazing ability to find and subtitle obscure films. Kobayashi again delivers with a tightly plotted film that takes time to develop, as most of the first hour takes place at the inn. It has a Lower Depths feel to it; a one set drama piece with people coming in and out, dealing with people who live under poor circumstances. The murder of the official by Nadakai is startling for its frankness. When the young man appears, things pick up, leading up to the visually stunning battle scene at the end of the film. The use of black and white photography, quite late at this point in time, really creates an atmosphere of isolation and foreboding, especially when right before the battle, the lanterns appear around the inn, as the officials close in to subdue the rogues. Thematically it is similar to Hara Kiri and Samurai Rebellion, as the rogues try to fight against the established corrupt system, to assert their individuality, but as in the other films, they are suppressed, though not without taking a whole bunch with them. Recommended!

Destiny or Foretold? - Death Note

Based on an enormously popular manga, Death Note was made into a motion picture in 2006, directed by Shusuke Kaneko (known for his 90's Gammera films, Pyrokenisis and Azumi 2). A series of murders are occuring all over the world, especially in Japan, where criminals are mysteriously dying. A name is linked to the deaths -- Kira (a derivative of the English word Killer). The authorities are on a massive manhunt for Kira, but all attempts to find him fail. In reality, Kira is a young college student named Light Yagami, who has recently passed a bar exam. He wants to join the forces like his father (played by Iron Chef emcee Takeshi Kaga), who is assigned to the case. Light stumbled across a mysterious book one day that had the words "Death Note" written on the cover, and opening it, he discovers that it is a blank notebook, except for the endpages, where the rules for using the book are written. The possessor of the book can kill anyone, just by writing the name in the book. But he or she must have a vivid picture of the person in their head when writing it, unless someone with a similar name will meet an untimely end. The means, the manner, the time of their deaths can all be predetermined, just by writing it down. Light, once discovering that he has this power, decides to use it for the good of mankind by getting rid of as many of the criminals that he can, by watching the television or meeting the people in person. His girlfriend, Shiori, is also a student, who is disturbed by Kira's actions and her boyfriend's sympathy towards Kira's cause. There is a side effect to using the book - Light can now see a demon called Ryuk, the god of death. Ryuk had lost the book, but seeing that it had a new owner, let Light keep it, and became an observer to how he would bear this tremendous responisbility. As the deaths keep piling up, the police are still baffled, until a senior official presents to the task force assigned to the case L, a mysterious figure who talks to them through a laptop computer. L is a mastermind who accurately narrows down the location of Kira by setting up a situation where Kira kills the head of the International Police, only to discover that the man was a criminal acting out the role. It was broadcasted only in Japan; therefore, Kira must be in Japan. Also, through some amazing leaps of deduction, L discovers that Kira must be a college student, based on the times of the murders, which take place during the evening and early morning, times when a student would be at home, and not at school. Light discovers that he is being tailed by a man, the reasons are unclear, but later it turns out that L had reasons to suspect him, as Kira knew things that were only known to the Task Force. Being the son of the chief, as well as having the skills to access the police server, raised L's suspicions. He asked for and got FBI support. The agent follows Light and Shiori onto a bus, where it is promptly hijacked by a criminal on the loose for bank robbery and murder. Light calls the agent's bluff of pretending not to know him by attempting to subdue the robber, but the agent -- revealing his name as Ray -- stops him. The hijacker threatens to shoot them, but is terrified by the sight of the demon, whom he sees after touching a piece a paper torn from the book. He is killed while fleeing the bus. Ray is later lured by Light/Kira onto a subway, where Kira manipulates him into revealing the names of all the FBI agents involved in the secret investigation. Ray is killed once he leaves the subway, only to be found by his fiancee, Naomi (Asaka Seto, from Bullets of Love and One Missed Call 2). A former agent herself, and having worked under L, she is determined to find her lover's killer. Meanwhile, the consequences of the FBI killings forces the Japanese task force to thin down to only those who are willing to give their lives to catching the killer. Those remaining, including Light's father, are introduced to L, who turns out to be a young man Light's age, who does not give his real name, and requests that the others do the same. L is convinced that the killer is related to one of the members of the task force, and has bugs and cameras implanted in all their homes. They spend a week studying, L especially concentrating on Light. It becomes clear to the others that L suspects Light, but there is no proof. Naomi is convinced, after doing an investigation of the bus incident where Ray was involved. She finds out about Light and Shiori, and tries to confront them about it, but Light refuses to acknowledge it. Naomi survives only by giving a false name to him. At the end of the 7 days a murder does finally happen, but closely watching Light, who was studying at the time, with the tv off, L fails to prove his guilt. But Light did kill a man, by secretly having a mini tv in a bag of chips that he was eating, and writing the name on a scrap of paper torn from the book. Naomi brings things to a head when she forces Shiori at gunpoint to ask Light to come meet her at the art museum. Light suspects something, but arriving at the museum (also being closely monitored by L), refuses to acknowledge that he is Kira, even when Naomi threatens to shoot Shiori. The police arrive, and Shiori escapes, but is shot by Naomi. Light is distraught, and Naomi suddenly realizes that she could have been wrong all the time, and confronted by the police, kills herself. All of it was planned by Light, who had written not only Naomi's death but Shiori's as well, a fact that amazed even the demon Ryuk. The film ends with Light asking his father to join the task force, and he reluctantly agrees, and Light and L finally meet, L eating a bag of chips -- the same kind that Light had been eating when he made his kill during their observation period.

Death Note and its sequel (released later in the year -- I'll do a review soon) came out within several months of each other, generating a lot of notice and were box office successes. I'll have to admit I was very surprised by this film, expecting yet another Ringu or Ju-On ripoff. What I got was a clever and original story, with one foot based on Japanese mythology, and the other in modern drama. Part ghost tale and mostly police procedural, Death Note plays on the notion of fate and control over one's life. The subplot dealing with Naomi's vengeance reveals that power can corrupt even the noble and idealistic Light, as well as demonstrating that even when he plots her demise, he has no idea how it would be carried out. There is still the element of chance and choice in how one lives one's life, no matter how predetermined. It was a kick to see the Iron Chef in a serious role, and Tatsuya Fujiwara in another prominent role after starring in Battle Royale. Kudos for the director Kanedo, who keeps a steady and even tone throughout the entire film, without resorting to hysterics or cliché, as well as putting Asaka Seto in a leather cat suit, bringing back fond memories of Diana Rigg as Emma Peel in the tv Avengers series. It's nice to see a straightforward big budget Japanese film that does not resort to monsters in big rubber suits, immature comedies, or demon girls with long black hair spilled over their faces. Recommended!