Kurîpî: Itsuwari no rinjin (2016) Reviews

• One of those "Huh?" movies

  info-123882016-11-12

  The only reason for the 3 is that the photography was well done. Everything else? Hmm... not much... Lots of spoilers ahead. The film becomes pretty predictable about halfway through, from the point where Mio tells the ex-detective "He's not my father", but there are some holes large enough to drive a semi through with room for a few compact cars besides. Like... -- if Mio was so concerned about the fate of her mother, why didn't she go to the police? -- if we assume the junior detective was killed by the deranged psycho, how did the body wind up in the torched house next door? -- why was the ex-detective's wife unwilling to tell her husband about the psycho getting her hooked on drugs? -- when she had the opportunity, why didn't Mio kill the psycho? It's almost like the film just went nowhere and stayed for a brief visit because it had nothing else to say. When killing a dog provides the moment when everyone pivots back on the psycho — a moment, by the way, that was far too long in coming — you have to wonder what film all these critics went to see instead of this one? It's long, repetitive, leaves itself wide open, and has characters whose motives are just as muddled and confused as the greenlight given this thing in the first place.

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• Risible...

  tenshi_ippikiookami2016-12-29

  but oddly engrossing. "Creepy", by Kiyoshi Kurosawa, is quite a strange movie, strangely entertaining and gripping, but that loses steam as its running time advances, ending weirder than weird. Probably, twenty minutes less would have improved the product. Takakura is an university teacher, former police detective, specialized in serial killers and the like. He decided to leave his job after a bad experience and has moved houses with his wife, Yasuko. But one of their neighbours, Nishino, seems to be a little bit... strange. At the same time, one of his former colleagues gets him interested in a cold case. Cue a plot development that is a little bit of a head-scratcher, especially when it comes to the behavior some of the characters have. One thing is having people scared, afraid or worried, insecure. Another is stretching situations because they help the tension and the plot develop, even if they are not very realistic or make little sense. Sadly, Kurosawa falls a lot into the second part, mostly close to the end of the movie, where plot development after plot development will make the viewer go from: 'no, don't open that door!' to: 'come on!' pretty fast. And it is a pity because the direction is good, with a moody atmosphere, which makes the viewer feel they can't breathe. The music, the light, the camera work... all helps to make it a suffocating experience. The acting is really good too, with Teruyuki Kagawa being the highlight again as Nishino. Kagawa can play shady or sleazy in his sleep, and he does a great job here. Too bad that the movie falls for the cheap shocks instead of caring more about what is happening and giving sense to the story.

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• Creepy sneaks up on you and leaves you feeling and thinking at the end of the film.

  texshelters2016-11-12

  "Creepy" sneaks up on you. For anyone who likes Japanese horror films or psychological thrillers like 'The Gift', see "Creepy." For those who like films of all kinds, "Creepy" is worth a watch. The lead antagonist in the film is spectacular. He is definitely "Creepy." And while the title seems a bit obvious, remember, it's from the Japanese, meaning...creepy, I think. Not only are the film, subject, and characters creepy, the tension, darkness and terror creeps up and into you as you watch the film. Creepy is terrifying in a way that obvious gorefests, like 'Saw', could never be. Kiyoshi Kurosawa, no relation to the film master Akira Kurosawa, does an excellent, if not perfect, job keeping the audience entranced in the mystery of Creepy. Teruyuki Kagawa is amazing playing the complex Nishino, the next-store neighbor of a former police detective Takakira, played by Hidetoshi Nishijima. Along with his wife, Yasuko played by Yûko Takeuchi, they partake in a back and forth of ego, secrets, veiled threats and mystery that keeps the film moving. These actors, especially the neighbor, make this less than perfect film work. What doesn't work in this film is that the characters far to often behave in obviously stupid ways and don't react in a timely manner to a threatening situation. I don't know how the police are trained, but when I get an open shot at a criminal that is threatening the lives of others, I take it. To sum: while the director is excellent at portraying the psychological tensions between characters and chooses shots and angles to enhance these tensions, the action scenes are awkward. Rating: Pay Full Price. Despite the faults in the film, the overall affect leaves one feeling and thinking something more than they did before seeing the film. That is what film at its best does. Peace, Tex Shelters

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• Drivel well made

  Chancery_Stone2018-04-28

  A potentially great movie is spoiled by that old chestnut, completely implausible and ridiculous behaviour by the characters. The hero is told at one point , to his face, by the girl herself, that his weird neighbour is not the girl's father - our hero's expert opinion on this, as an outstanding criminal psychologist? "That was weird". I quote. His wife is continually harassed by the weird neighbour - does she tell her husband? Hell, no. That would be too intelligent. Towards the end we see that she has track marks right down her arm from being drugged - does the fabulous criminal psychologist notice? Nope. His senior officer in the police force finally begins to believe him that his weird neighbour is probably a serial killer, so said older, experienced officer goes into the potential serial killer's house, without a weapon, a partner or back-up of any kind, not forgetting, of course, to take his shoes off first. Wouldn't do to break with protocol. Although the wife has a mini-breakdown after seeing the corpse of the first 'wife' and screams wildly, she does nothing when her own husband is taken hostage. First wife's daughter - who is not drugged as far as we know - is handed a weapon and the villain conveniently bends down in front of her, giving her a close-up, clear shot - does she take it? Hell no again. Despite the fact that she is fully compos mentis and he's about four foot and a coward, PLUS, she's already snitched on him twice (for all the good that does her). When she does escape does she call the police? Nope. Of course not - that would get in the way of the 'plot'. The whole thing is like this, full of holes big enough to drive a mack truck through, so that you are so annoyed by the characters' stupidity that you just spend all your time jeering at them and thinking they deserve to die. Which is a shame, because the settings are good, the story idea is interesting and involving and the characters are good, especially the villain who plays his part excellently. I just can't forgive the stupidity.

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• echoes of recent terrible tales

  christopher-underwood2018-01-26

  I enjoyed this and feel that some commentators have rather missed the point. There is criticism for the inclusion of the evidence of the girl during the first half and also at the behaviour of the wife. In both cases there is absolute clarity and relevance as far as I am concerned but possibly the film is overlong and the feeling that there is nothing happening grows if the story is not fully understood. Even when there is no wham bam action I am always happy to see those strange little Japanese streets and houses and listen to the polite niceties as the tension builds. Worth a watch and the creepy guy is certainly as creepy as they come, also true life events are alluded to and there are echoes of recent terrible tales as this horror unfolds.

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