Too much of everything

For all the hype it got I was expecting a lot more!

Crappy film

what a terribly boring film. I'm sorry but this is absolutely not deserving of best picture and will be forgotten quickly. Entertaining and engaging cinema? No. Nothing performances with flat faces and mistaking silence for subtlety.

Excellent and provocative outing from the likeable and intelligent, Kiyoshi Kurosawa. Made after a run of smaller 'straight to video' yakuza and the like movies, this was an early break for something better and is a great success. Staring the equally likeable Koji Yakusho, who would go on to work several times with Kurosawa, who seemed attracted partly by the fact they were the same age. The film begins and continues for some time as a beautifully shot bur scary exercise as people drop dead, seemingly inexplicably and an aura of surrealist mayhem develops. There is a slowing in proceedings while the main protagonist is investigated but interest is well maintained ahead of the fine denouement.

In many ways this movie has one of the scariest villains in horror movie history. He is so cunning and emotionless and he has tremendous powers that he could use at will. I wouldn't call this movie scary but it really got under my skin.Certain scenes were really effective because they come out of absolutely nowhere. The hanging scene or the scene with the nurse murdering the guy came out of nowhere. The movie moves really slow with absolutely shocking moments at frequent intervals. The mark appearing at various points was also effective. I have often mentioned that payoff is important, at least give me something! And this movie delivers that in spades. Koji Yakusho gives a stunning performance as Takabe. His frequent bursts were incredible to watch. A detective, as he explains, is not supposed to show any emotion. Takabe, at various points, is almost losing it but he manages to compose himself at the last moment. He tries to be the dutiful husband to his ill wife. He tries to do his job despite dealing with scumbags. Yet towards the end, he finds that he might be losing the battle to Mamiya.And that's what this movie is all about. It is about the battle between Takabe and Mamiya. Despite trying his best, Mamiya manages to get into the mind of Takabe after getting a few details about his life. That's all Mamiya needs to manipulate someone. Few people are immune to his hypnosis techniques. The way in which the movie details the crimes of Mamiya is a treat to watch. It is just fascinating to watch how he manages to talk to those people and understand their issues quite easily. Most probably he knows their story even before they told him. Even the calm and composed Sakuma becomes increasingly erratic towards the end.As in many movies of this nature, the lack of music (or minimalist music) works so well. It lends a documentary feel to the scenes. But some scenes suddenly switch to a surreal nature and that is disorienting. That's why this movie works so well. The concept itself is interesting. What is Mamiya exactly doing? Is he manipulating people to commit crimes or is he just removing the inhibitions? It is even scary to see how otherwise normal people seem to lose it. Even people like that friendly officer. The movie is incredibly atmospheric and the creepy concept and the execution elevate this movie to classic status.The ending is disturbing as well and it gives a satisfying conclusion to his excellent horror film.One of my favourite Japanese horror films and I rate it a 10/10.

Cure (1997) (By Kiyoshi Kurosawa)This was a good forerunner to the films of the modern Asian horror bloom. A bleak and creepy detective horror. Sometimes it's a bit odd, with seemingly happy music playing in scenes you would associate with deep sadness or pain. And the director has a certain feeling for details that you would not expect to find in such a film, at times giving what would otherwise be very ordinary scenes a special meaning. For example when our main character takes a simple buss-ride to visit the mental hospital. It is subtle, but the way the clouds are made, as seen in the back windows of the bus, among other things, perfectly conveys the feeling of a soothing, almost a tad dreamlike journey - as a momentary break on a doomed and hopeless day... But most of the time it plays like any Asian horror film, only this one is very dark. When you watch it it's like you are helplessly confined within it's universe and there is nothing to do but submit to it and follow the story. This is why it's uncomfortable even though it's relatively light on horror or true dread, and it reminds me a lot of Kairo for this reason.In passing, the ideas and themes that it explores poses questions about our inner nature, and not least the nature of morality. It's intriguing and creepy at the same time, even if things can get a bit confusing - and i find that the film plays a lot in the dark so that can contribute to that effect as well - but hey, what Asian horror movies doesn't get a little weird? Anyway, you always roughly understand what happens however so it's no big deal.The murders are gruesome but pretty schematic. Without them it would hardly be the kind of film it is, but I feel that most of the tension in the movie derives from its main character (the detective) and his inner frustration, as well as from the "psycho"(really the mysterious Mr. X) which is the suspect he interrogates. The detective's life is a mess, his wife and love suffers from mental illness, and his job doesn't make it easy for him as it is. Be sure that the overly intelligent, illusive bad guy takes advantage of as much as he can of this. He frustrates and manipulates, but with a power over people that even Hannibal Lecter cannot compete with. But the film isn't about getting someone convicted. It explores the inexplainable, incurable evil that cannot be undone. The ending is ambiguous and we don't exactly know if things will sort out now or what will happen.A very good, dark crime horror from Kurosawa. Maybe you could call it horror for grownups? Very recommended, but expect a very slow-paced and meditative film.

Director Kiyoshi Kurosawa perfects the concept of hypnotic villainy in this film, which features a battle of wills between a detective and a genius who uses the power of suggestion to set in motion a series of killings throughout a city. Showcasing innovative suspense sequences, plot twists, and rich psychological/philosophical concepts, this film will have viewers pondering well after it ends. Kiyoshi again manages to elude the pitfalls of popular cinema to contribute not only a chilling masterpiece, but arguably one of the most awesome villains to ever grace the big screen.Of the thousands of films I've seen, few have floored me to the point where I've wanted to grant them the honor of being the "Best Movie Ever." The only other film that comes to mind is "A Tale of Two Sisters" (2003), which is easily the most impressive motion picture of all time. Since that distinction is taken, that leaves "Cure" (1997) with the runner-up spot in terms of world cinema, but the medal for "Best Japanese Movie Ever" is still for the taking. This film takes it. I've seen 1,328 films from that country, and I can tell you that even Yasujiro Ozu and Shinya Tsukamoto have failed to match the brilliance of "Cure." This is quite possibly the most engaging slow-paced film in existence. The tempo moves slower than molasses in January, but the introduction of the lead antagonist a mere 8 minutes into the film sets the seemingly endless array of intriguing moments into motion from the get go. Masato Hagiwara's character of Kunio Mamiya is spellbinding with his hypnotic technique that starts off with seemingly trivial dialogue but slowly progresses into an ingenious psychological trap. This provides for a number of memorable moments, my favorite of which is the mesmerizing water enchantment of the hospital nurse. In addition, the identity of this character is expertly crafted as a sort of ambiguous soul/personality whose essence is only truly revealed during the very last frame. No other film has created an antagonist so uniformly dangerous, sublime, and interesting as Kunio Mamiya.Kiyoshi Kurosawa is easily one of the top five directors of all time. This guy made three perfect films that no one talks about – "Cure" (1997), "Kairo" (2001), and "Charisma" (1999). What's really interesting is that he follows a rather unique art-house style that's almost never applied to the horror/thriller genres. Kiyoshi uses long shots, deliberate pacing, and ambiguity in moderation, which is unlike most art-house directors who have no sense of discretion. Despite the mindless ramblings of mainstream cinemaphiles, Kiyoshi rarely (if ever) indulges in pompous, self-congratulatory filming techniques because his choice of lean running times (under two hours in almost every instance) helps him to avoid the bloated, masturbatory pretentiousness that rears its ugly head in other art-house style films. Think Andrei Tarkovsky with more interesting and refined philosophical content and you'll have an idea of just how special Kiyoshi Kurosawa is as a director.Whenever possible, I like to point out the high content levels of Kiyoshi's films in an attempt to counter the nonsensical claims of some who feel that he practices a form of style over substance. Take the seemingly trivial dialogue that the Kunio Mimiya character engages in during his hypnotic acts of terrorism. The exchanges are an odd mix on a superficial level, but one comes to realize their importance when the victims are subjected to police interrogation. Only then does the viewer understand why Kunio fakes his amnesia (an attempt to elude his victims memories) and engages in circular question-begging. Also note the attention to details in other situations. Within the final 20 minutes we see Koji Yakusho in a quaint diner, but only upon further inspection do we realize that in one case his plate is filled with leftover food while in the other case it's licked clean, an important revelation of his essential change in character for the finale. And how about that final shot? This is just awesome cinema people. Magnificent.In retrospect, "Cure" was the true beginning of the Japanese horror phenomenon that has followed it's release. While lacking in industry influence that has helped to establish Japanese horror in general (that nod goes to Nakata's "Ringu" of 1998), it provides a ground zero date for the turning of the tide so to speak. For all intents and purposes, Japanese horror has kicked everyone else's backside from 1997 onward. That said, I am truly unhappy that Kiyoshi chose to leave the genre for more dramatic fare because we're already inundated with enough art-house dramas to keep us busy. How many expertly crafted art-house horror films are there floating around today? Whatever the number, it's not nearly enough.It's really too bad that good taste in film is practically extinct, because "Cure" should be one of those movies that everyone under the sun raves about until they're blue in the face. Kiyoshi isn't blessed with the lunatic fan base that follows guys like Akira Kurosawa or Andrei Tarkovsky. (Maybe I count as the first big fan of Kiyoshi.) It's a shame that he has established himself as an upper echelon filmmaker but somehow hasn't won over the majority of paid critics and film snobs who so easily drive the "emperor with no clothes" tide to coerce and guilt people into riding the bandwagons of lesser filmmakers.In any case, "Cure" is the pinnacle of exceptional film-making. It's also Kiyoshi Kurosawa's best film, and that's saying something.