CURE (1997)
Directed by Kiyoshi Kurosawa
Starring: Koji Yakusho, Masato Hagiwara
Genre: Thriller
Running Time: 105mins

Rating:

Warning: The following Synopsis contains spoilers - please skip synopsis and go straight to the review if you have not seen the film yet.

A mysterious stranger suffering from amnesia is taking in by newly weds at their beach home. Moments after speaking with the husband, in the cold dead of night the husband leaps from the window in a failed suicide attempt. The stranger has disappeared, travelling on with just a zippo lighter at his disposal focusing on the flickering flame. The husband has just killed his own wife, no motive, no reason. It seemed like the most normal thing to do. Enter Takabe a run down detective investigating the case while his wife suffers at a psychiatric hospital. Enter the stranger, a man of no memory, of no motive nor reason. The serial killer of influence. The destroyer of society.

Cure is a perfect example of where Hollywood so often goes wrong. Haunting, philosophical, ambiguous, thrilling, exciting, unsettling - the list of adjectives is endless, Kiyoshi Kurosawa is a true filmmaking talent. Capable of eliciting any number of fears and emotions without ever having to force the viewer into a situation Cure meanders at its own pace delicately creeping under the skin until its unforgettable climax.

With another finely tuned, subtle performance from leading man Koji Yakusho, Kurosawa weaves an intricate plot of a serial killer who acts more on the power of suggestion rather than the actual committing of the crime. It is a fascinating premise to a film many have related to David Fincher's Seven though any links between these two films are tenuous and only truly relate to the basic subject matter and the overwhelming pessimism throughout. This is very much Kurosawa's own film and it's as unique as Fincher's masterpiece, the comparison ends with genre and tone.

What Kurosawa adds to the serial killer / detective genre are theories on influence and intent, whether it be the hypnotic orders of the killer upon his subjects, or the strains of working and private life upon Koji Yakusho's burnt out cop Takabe, Kurosawa explores and examines the ideology of individual will power, and strips his characters of decision and reason. The subjects recall the murders of those around them as ""It seemed like the most normal thing to do" they are nothing but shells commanded by the influence of this chillingly enigmatic stranger (played with terrifying restraint and calm by Masato Hagiwara who would later be seen in Hideo Nakata's Chaos).

Takabe and his partner at one point discuss the prospect of media influence being the catalyst for the murders, but this is far from the truth, Kurosawa is presenting an unavoidable sense of the apocalypse with the pain and hurt spreading like an unstoppable disease. This is one of many consistent themes in Kurosawa's works, from Charisma to Kairo the idea of isolation, of pain spreading, infecting the world makes for fascinating subject matter.

In addition to the narrative and the excellent performances throughout, Kurosawa also commands a masterful approach to the technical elements of his film. The cinematography and lighting is consistently chilling. Frequently taking an observant stance the wide angle framing of shots is expertly handled giving a suitably cold, detached atmosphere with long takes that help sneak slowly into your subconscious striking a fear much deeper than the flash cut aesthetics of your average thriller. The languid flowing camera movements matched by the bleak locations (from the sterilised lifeless hospital to the decaying warehouse) present a pessimistic feel for both characters and setting, is it any wonder that the film should conclude so ambiguously, so perfectly.

In a particularly chilling moment the only use of a musical score, a lighthearted plink plunk theme that would be more suited to a comedy than a thriller, continues its playful theme as a prostitute is battered to death with a metal bar. The action on screen contradicts with the score with chilling effect while the camera remains far from the action, with no close ups of each strike, just one breathtaking shot that surprises all and chills you to the bone. This is a violent film in the way that Austrian director Michael Haneke would direct, where the power of the violence is very much a case of less is more. The sequence is very similar to the murder seen in Haneke's "Benny's Video" but that is not to denigrate Kurosawa's film to influences, if anything it can only aid it. Kurosawa has created a film that is intelligent, fiercely original and deeply unsettling.

Hugely recommended.