the audience applauded

Save your money for something good and enjoyable

Fantastic!

Great story, amazing characters, superb action, enthralling cinematography. Yes, this is something I am glad I spent money on.

Viewed on DVD. Cinematography/lighting = eight (8) stars; other major production values = eight (8) stars; subtitles/credits = ten (10) stars. Director Dave Boyle's tale of four-legged contraband and deadly serial identity theft is a classic edge-of-your-seat thriller. Packed with red-herring subplots and many moving parts, it really requires multiple viewings to understand all that occurs and why as well as to tie up a multitude of what seem to be (but really are not) loose ends. There is no happy ending. It also lacks (thankfully!) the usual Pro Forma car chases up and down the very hilly streets of San Francisco. Acting/direction is very good with bilingual leading actress Ayako Fujitani delivering a scene-stealing, radiant, and intelligent performance (it's a pure pleasure to see her in action!). Cinematography (wide screen, color), scene lighting, and other productions values (such as choice of exterior/interior locations and set decoration) are all excellent. Score is a bit uneven with themes that range from creative use of one or a few instruments to an overriding (and irritating) scrapping-like buzz apparently meant to signal that danger lies ahead. Surround sound field is good when fully deployed. Subtitles (which can not be turned off) are excellent and almost mandatory due to the heavy use of Tokyo dialect/slang. Everyone and everything (even if only mentioned in the dialog) is given on-screen credit including the supplier of Kame (turtles). Since initial funding came from crowd sourcing, several hundred contributors are also listed. Highly recommended for multiple viewings! WILLIAM FLANIGAN, PhD.

Film Noir, which often united the darker impulses of America post- WWII with an exhausted, disillusioned Europe, showed the world was both smaller and larger than mere borders. Dave Boyle's new noir Man From Reno is both a step back into the contained yet expansive world of San Francisco and an up-to-the- minute dispatch from the lonely land of singles. The brilliant Pepe Serna is the aptly named sheriff, Moral, whose calm demeanor and intelligence inspires confidence. The cast, down to the bartenders, are living in this world and the darker places of the psyche. But it is talented Ayako Fujitani as the lionized author whom we want to know better. She carries her secrets like a true detective--close to vest. Secrets and dark alleys abound but the characters carry the story. This one's a keeper-- years from now it will double-bill with The Maltese Falcon at our land-marked neighborhood movie palaces.

I was intrigued by the film. Every moment is filled =with suspense. The film held my attention every single frame. I was always wondering what would come next right to the very last frame. I thought the writing and acting were very well done. The title was a great choice in my opinion. It kind of summed up everything. A really great mystery full of twists and turns. I don't want in any way spoil the film. The movie is thick with possibility and wonder from the very first scene. I was found wondering who is who is who, what is what, and what was really happening at every moment. Cinematography in first scene especially was exceptional. The actors were I felt living in the moment all the time which only added to the suspense. The moments were filled with poignancy as they were always observing, listening in the moment, and reacting to the moment. With Ayako Fujitani, Pepe Serna, Kazuki Kitamura.

A small-town sheriff accidentally knocks down a man late at night on an isolated road. A Japanese crime novelist has a one night stand with a mysterious man who suddenly disappears. The two stories seem to be connected.Man from Reno is a San Francisco set neo-noir mystery. It is most distinctive for being an American/Japanese hybrid. This cross-cultural aspect probably contributes to this being a somewhat unpredictable film with genuinely unexpected moments. This, of course, is a very good thing in a mystery/detective movie. The story slowly reveals itself and contains several strange details which all eventually dovetail together. It is quite a complex plot though and its bilingual nature only adds to the complexity, so I feel this is a film in which a second viewing would add a lot and help capture details missed the first time around. Another strength is the very good acting performances. In particular, Auoko Fujitani and Pepe Serna, who play, respectively, the female crime writer and the sheriff. Both are fleshed out and convincing characters whom we believe in and care about.This is a very good and unusual mystery. It also has a fairly dark and uncompromising ending which only adds to its overall unpredictability and boldness of approach. This is one well worth seeking out.