dragynfaerie
USA
Compelling
Character is the type of film you want to see in the theatre or at least with 1 other so you can grab a bite to eat and talk about it. You want to inject yourself into the film to come up with motives, figure out what a character was thinking and why they did (or didn't do) something.
Yamashiro Keigo is a talented artist and assistant to a popular mangaka. He has dreams of publishing and becoming a successful mangaka himself. The only problem is Yama wants to draw horror and thrillers, but lacks the experience in which to make his characters believable. He's too nice to get into the mindset of a villain. While on assignment by his boss, he stumbles upon a grisly murder scene and witnesses the murderer leaving the site. This flips a switch for Yama and he uses it to jumpstart his career. The only problem is the killer recognizes himself and uses the Yama's manga, 34, as a blueprint to commit murders. Inspector Seida Shunseke recognizes the similarities between Yama's manga and the murders and begins using 34 as the basis of his investigation.
The production is splendid. The directing and camera work are very well done. I noticed no continuity issues, but to be honest I was too involved in the story to notice any little issues. Script writer, Nagai Akira, did a good job mixing genres and keeping us engaged. You would think since the police were trying to catch a serial killer it would have been a bit more action oriented or at faster pace. But, honestly, you don't even realize it's character driven and psychological. My only complaint is that we don't learn enough about the killer. We're left only supposition. I, for one, would have liked to have some hint as to his resources. He was able to find things and/or people that he really shouldn't have been able to.
Suda Masaki plays Yama and heads a talented cast. Fukase Satoshi was brillant as the serial killer, "Morozumi." He was just plain creepy. The encounters between our 2 leads were uncomfortable for Yama and the watcher. The supporting cast including Oguri Shun as our intrepid Inspector Seida were excellent.
The music really supported the movie and wasn't overpowering. While I'm not big on re-watching dramas, I do re-watch movies. I can see myself watching this again
Overall, this is a great watch. No perfect but it accomplishes it's goal. It's dark, psychological, creepy, and engaging. A very good murder thriller.
Yamashiro Keigo is a talented artist and assistant to a popular mangaka. He has dreams of publishing and becoming a successful mangaka himself. The only problem is Yama wants to draw horror and thrillers, but lacks the experience in which to make his characters believable. He's too nice to get into the mindset of a villain. While on assignment by his boss, he stumbles upon a grisly murder scene and witnesses the murderer leaving the site. This flips a switch for Yama and he uses it to jumpstart his career. The only problem is the killer recognizes himself and uses the Yama's manga, 34, as a blueprint to commit murders. Inspector Seida Shunseke recognizes the similarities between Yama's manga and the murders and begins using 34 as the basis of his investigation.
The production is splendid. The directing and camera work are very well done. I noticed no continuity issues, but to be honest I was too involved in the story to notice any little issues. Script writer, Nagai Akira, did a good job mixing genres and keeping us engaged. You would think since the police were trying to catch a serial killer it would have been a bit more action oriented or at faster pace. But, honestly, you don't even realize it's character driven and psychological. My only complaint is that we don't learn enough about the killer. We're left only supposition. I, for one, would have liked to have some hint as to his resources. He was able to find things and/or people that he really shouldn't have been able to.
Suda Masaki plays Yama and heads a talented cast. Fukase Satoshi was brillant as the serial killer, "Morozumi." He was just plain creepy. The encounters between our 2 leads were uncomfortable for Yama and the watcher. The supporting cast including Oguri Shun as our intrepid Inspector Seida were excellent.
The music really supported the movie and wasn't overpowering. While I'm not big on re-watching dramas, I do re-watch movies. I can see myself watching this again
Overall, this is a great watch. No perfect but it accomplishes it's goal. It's dark, psychological, creepy, and engaging. A very good murder thriller.
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