Ace Attorney (2012) [Film Review]

Ace Attorney; or, Justice for All

     Stop being so cocky. You've only been to court twice, and you're still a rookie. If I wanted an attorney, there are plenty out there that are much more competent than you.
If you need legal advice, then seek no father and call Ace Attorney! A 2012 movie directed by Takashi Miike is an adaptation of a famous adventure/legal drama video game series developed by Capcom. I’m sharing my thoughts on Phoenix Wright and his larger-than-life courtroom battles.

Release Info

Directed by: Takashi Miike Starring: Hiroki Narimiya, Takumi Saitoh, Rei Dan, Mirei Kiritani

Language: Japanese Original Title: 逆転裁判 Runtime: 133 min

Synopsis
In view of the increasing crime rate, the Japanese judiciary branch has adopted the so-called Bench Trial System. Attorneys and prosecutors directly face each other in an open court, and the court determines the defendant’s innocence within the timespan of 3 days. We follow a rookie attorney Phoenix Wright (Hiroki Narimiya) who is frequently aided by his mentor, Mia Fey (Rei Dan). After the mysterious murder of Mia, Phoenix manages to determine the innocence of her sister, Maya (Mirei Kiritani), who becomes his associate. However, this is not the end of their troubles. Phoenix and Maya will have to gear up for a difficult trial in which Phoenix’s childhood friend, Prosecutor Miles Edgeworth (Takumi Saitoh) is accused of murder. It turns out that the cases of Maya and Miles are linked to a tragic event which took place about 20 years earlier.

Objection!
As a person completely unfamiliar with the craze surrounding this video game franchise, I have to admit that I greatly enjoyed this adaptation. I went in completely cold, without knowing the characters and the main story arc, but Takashi Miike’s skilful storytelling kept me on the edge of my seat. The dystopian world of retro fashion, over-the-top hairstyles, and top-of-the-line technology in courts is extremely amazing. Indeed, Ace Attorney is not only a well made homage to Capcom’s popular series, but also a clever commentary on Japan’s judiciary system (which, let’s face it, is extremely effective in the world of today).

Without getting into any spoilers, the storyline is very engrossing. Apart from epic court battles, there are lots of plot twists, and dramatic reveals along the way. You would think that these are cliched tropes, but these plot points actually drive the whole picture. In consequence, the movie never feels boring. 133 minutes passed by in a blink of an eye!

Apart from Takashi Miike’s direction, I have to praise the flawless cinematography of Masakazu Oka and the editing by Kenji Yamashita. The world of Phoenix Wright looks so flashy yet cozy at the same time.

On the other hand, the music score composed by Koji Endo is not very present throughout the duration of the movie. However, I read that the composer did try to implement original themes from the games.

With regard to performances, I am surprised that so many great actors appear in Ace Attorney! Evidently, the bromance undertones between Hiroki Narimita and Takumi Saitoh are a joy to watch. I also loved Mirei Kiritani, Dan Rei, and Kimiko Yo as the Fey girls. Ryo Ishibashi provides a convincing portrayal of a despicable villain. In addition, the wonderful Fumiyo Kohinata appears as a key character! Kudos to Eisuke Sasai and Akira Emoto for playing supporting parts of a prosecutor and a judge, respectively.

Recommendations
Even though you know nothing about the games, do not feel discouraged. Ace Attorney is a fun, escapist tale for everybody. Grab some popcorn and check out the improbable, yet romantic take on a world where justice prevails. Allegedly, the sequel is in development but no new material has seen the light of day since 2012.Overall score: 8/10

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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

The Crucible (2011) [Mini Review]

The Crucible (2011)

This time, I would like to make an exclusive mini-review of the South Korean drama film called The Crucible (released internationally as Silenced).

Release Info

Directed by: Hwang Dong Hyuk

Starring: Gong Yoo, Jung Yu Mi, Kim Hyung Soo

Language: Korean

Original Title: 도가니

Runtime: 125 min

I picked it up because I have recently seen Train to Busan (2016), as I have wanted to check out something more of Gong Yoo and Jung Yu Mi. Well, after checking out The Crucible, the film left me completely gobsmacked. I was so shocked that, in my view, a regular review of the film seems pointless, because it will not give it enough justice.

Don’t get me wrong, The Crucible is a great movie, but I would like to refer to the sensitive topic that it explores. The story is based on real events which took place at Gwangju Inhwa School (go here for further details) and, in short, the movie focuses on a teacher who discovers that faculty members of a school for deaf children are sexually assaulting their students. The highlight, as well as the issue, of the film is that it does not present its topic subtly. It grips the viewer by the throat and slaps him in the face with highly explicit content. The first half of the film is a brutal exposition as the main character, Kang In Ho (Gong Yoo), unravels the uncomfortable truth; whereas the second part is a nasty courtroom drama as he and human rights activist Seo Yoo Jin (Jung Yu Mi) struggle to make the offenders pay for their crimes.

To be honest, it is not a movie for everyone. If you’re faint-hearted or feel very distressed about sensitive issues, then give this film a pass. However, if you feel up to going through some upsetting sequences, then The Crucible will provide you some intellectual food for thought. It is no wonder that the film actually led to some legislative reforms in South Korea.

Overall score: 8/10