Exoticalot
People are voting emotionally.
Contentar
Best movie of this year hands down!
Brenda
The plot isn't so bad, but the pace of storytelling is too slow which makes people bored. Certain moments are so obvious and unnecessary for the main plot. I would've fast-forwarded those moments if it was an online streaming. The ending looks like implying a sequel, not sure if this movie will get one
Thaneevuth Jankrajang
There is a tragedy of great artists getting old and off. I think Kon Ichikawa had suffered from this reality and it is reflected here rather clearly in this film. It would be wrong to judge his directorial profile upon the twilight of his days. I know several great directors who insisted on making films to the very end, and their later works were never comparable to the masterpieces of the early days. John Huston was one. Francis Ford Coppola comes to mind. William Friedkin is probably another. Not sure if it is happening with the unsinkable Steven Spielberg and George Lucas. No sign, though, on the works of Clint Eastwood and Woody Allen, possibly because of their mixed records. Nevertheless, even a lesser work of Kon Ichikawa's calibre does not fail to entertain. The story remains well-told and grabbing. Only here and there, we see some awkward moments, probably on the old man's bad days at work. Ichikawa's firm imprint is quite pale in this one. Watching this film, one should decide to relax, less critiquing, and be thoroughly entertained. I find it a nice, clean, unpolluted detective story of a classic nature. It takes a clean-minded person like Ichikawa's to make such an all-around cleanly environment. A political message is also there, neatly and carefully inserted: Japan in the aftermath of World War Two. People suffered greatly at the loss of their loved ones. Future was blurry and good fortunes were hard to find or be believed. And personal economy was rather impossible. Thus, greed, economically-motivated crimes, and shortsightedness of those lost souls. Not only in such a vain and vengeful old family, even our good detective must count his pay to make sure it is all there. This is the one Japan that died along with Mr. Kon Ichikawa. Today will bring this haunting ghost back to Japan or not, right after the Tsunami and series of economic earthquakes, we do not know.
ReasonAlone
This film was entertaining, intriguing and refreshing. I haven't seen the original so while I can't compare, I can see how this could be an older story. Every shot has an interesting vibe, a sense of suspense and intrigue. The editing in the film is very well done. This along with the timing does well in establishing an interesting atmosphere, while delivering the storyline. While there are a few twists along the way, some aspects of the plot are somewhat predictable, but the way the film is presented makes it an enjoyable experience.To summarize - Well acted and well edited. Beautiful shots and interesting atmosphere, the film is old school and looks it. I was quite surprised it's such a recent film. The tone is also quite dark, which lends well to the overall vibe of the film. Not perfect, but very well done and worth watching.
Mozjoukine
Measured, elegant, unique, impeccably made, Ichikawa chose a vintage fifties who-done-it and used the post war setting, the hint of perverted Japanese Industrial power and lashings of violence, with a bit of sex, to create something that is unlike anything else in his or anyone else's output.Shifting the detective story to a Japan full of returned soldiers, shortages and disrupted tradition and then playing the simple minded material straight faced, complete with the mask over a mask heir to the family fortune that is to be allocated by reading the will, comes with all his life time of technical know how. It makes what is very slow paced gripping and at the same time something closer to art film.The star presences of Junko Fuji and Nakadai, as a Black & white still photo, produce the touch that confirms that this is not just an old man's pulp fiction.
poikkeus
You can't fault the acting talent, and certainly not helmsmanship of veteran director Kon Ichikawa - his final film in a strong output. But this whodunit, which concentrates on family fortune and revenge, is also a surprisingly awkward film, lacking the finesse of even a modest work like, say, the engaging DORA HEITA. The timing and editing seems slightly (and sometimes not so slightly) off, with sequences framed in a way that defeats the film's subtly comic edge. The acting talent is, overall, quite strong, highlighted by the lovely Nanako Matsushima (THE RING, GTO) and commanding Sumiko Fuji (of the celebrated Peony Gambler series). And once the film gets going, the mystery becomes more perplexing and comes into its own. But it's certainly not one of Ichikawa's more assured works.
