The Suspect: Muroi Shinji (2005) [Film Review]

The Suspect: Muroi Shinji; or, The Superintendent’s on the Loose!

     I'm a stubborn man. When I make a choice... all other choices disappear.

Superintendent Muroi Shinji is back (with a vengeance), and this time, in his own movie. Yougisha Muroi Shinji is the second of the two theatrical spin-off films, which, together with two other TV specials, comprise the Odoru Legend series. In the story centered around him, Muroi will have to fight against dirty office politics and corrupt-to-the-bone lawyers as he is arrested for conducting an allegedly-flawed investigation.

Release Info

Directed by: Ryoichi Kimizuka Starring: Toshiro Yanagiba, Rena Tanaka, Norito Yashima

Language: Japanese Original Title: 容疑者　室井慎次 Runtime: 117 min

 

Synopsis

The movie begins with Muroi (Toshiro Yanagiba) imprisoned in a detention center. Although, currently working for a Federal Agency, he is arrested by the Metropolitan Police Department. The last case he was in charge of concerned the alleged stabbing of a man by a police officer. Chased by the Shinjuku locals, the officer attempts to escape and dies in an accident. However, in view of discovering new evidence, Muroi is not so sure of his quilt and reopens the investigation. Shinji does not know that the case has a second bottom and the top brass at the MPD and the Feds are not very keen on finding the real culprit. Instead, Muroi is charged with an accusation that he led to the officer’s unfortunate death. Now, the Superintendent will have to cooperate with a rookie defender called Obara (Rena Tanaka) in order to clear his name.

 

Unlike the previous spin-off Negotiator: Mashita Masayoshi (2005), The Suspect does not rely on the formula of fast-paced action. What we get instead is something of a mash-up of police procedural and courtroom drama. In other words, it is almost as if The Fugitive (1993) meets Philadelphia (1993). Perhaps, that is the reason why this movie gets such a bad rap on imdb. Personally, I am totally fine with the way in which screenwriter and director Ryoichi Kimizuka went with this story. Nevertheless, the movie has several flaws.

 

First off, at the very beginning, we get a whole 20 minutes of exposition. I realise that exposition is important in order to understand what is going on in the story, but the film’s plot line is so convoluted that I barely managed to scratch the surface in the description above. The movie really demands a lot of attention from the viewer to figure out why Muroi has become the titular suspect and how he is going to rescue himself. In fact, halfway through the picture, I lost track of who are the good guys and the bad guys. Does the MPD want to end Muroi? The Feds? Or both at the same time?! Kimizuka clearly wanted to come up with an original crime plot, but the end result is only half-satisfying.

 

After discussing the downsides, it is necessary to talk about the advantages and there is a few of them. Toshiro Yanagiba is (obviously) the highlight of this picture as he plays the role of an honest cop effortlessly. What the script does really right is finally giving Muroi an interesting back-story: where he came from, what was his past. This, coupled with Yanagiba’s acting, enhances the quality of Muroi’s character.

 

Another advantage are the supporting characters. Rena Tanaka plays Obara, Muroi’s attorney, who hates cops because they disregarded an assault on her in the past. Norito Yashima, on the other hand, portrays Haijima Hideki, a ruthless and spoiled lawyer who is after Muroi. An interesting character indeed, but I don’t think that he had enough potential to be given his own TV movie. Also, Akira Emoto has a minor role in the picture as Obara’s mentor, but he doesn’t do much apart from uttering a few Obi-Wan Kenobi-like quotes. In addition, some familiar faces come back. Miki Maya and Toshio Kakei return as Okita and Shinjo respectively. The two officers taught by Muroi do not trust each other, but they work independently towards saving the Superintendent.

What is more, the final showdown at Shinjuku North Precinct is a rewarding watch. Maybe it is hard to get there with all those twists and conspiracies along the way, but the payoff of Muroi’s last day on the job is definitely outstanding. The mystery behind everything was quite trivial, yet it made perfect sense in the end. In a way, the solution reminded me a lot about the Odoru Daisousasen show’s third episode where Sumire and Aoshima are after a purse snatcher whose father is a high rank official.

 

Recommendations

The movie completely contradicts the tone of Bayside Shakedown movies, but I highly recommend it to the fans of Muroi Shinji (if there are some out there). It is a nice crime drama (though with a bit overcomplicated plot), but it certainly has a few strong merits. However, what do I know? I could easily watch Muroi in an endless loop as he walks wearing his black coat, in slow motion, with his usual swag, to Akihiko Matsumoto’s epic guitar riff...

 

Overall score: 7/10