A Night in Nude (1993) [Film Review]

A Night in Nude; or, Life on Lease
      Whatever it is, we do it for you, so you don’t have to do it.
The late Takashi Ishii is one of the few Japanese directors that never won me over, mainly because of the fact that the genre he specialises in was never right up my alley. Erotic crime thrillers and straight up exploitation flicks are just too much for me, but I decided to give the director a chance when I found out about A Night in Nude, starring one of my fave veteran actors out there: Naoto Takenaka.

Release Info

Directed by: Takashi Ishii Starring: Naoto Takenaka, Kimiko Yo, Kippei Shiina

Language: Japanese Original Title: ヌードの夜 Runtime: 110 min

Synopsis
Jiro (Naoto Takenaka) is a guy for hire. He basically serves as a stand-in at events which nobody wants to attend, but he will do any kind of job for money. One day, his agency is visited by a woman called Nami Tsuchiya (Kimiko Yo). She hires Jiro to be her tour guide in Tokyo. The next day, Jiro receives a phone call instructing him to visit Nami’s room in a hotel and clean it up. When Jiro arrives, he discovers that there is a dead body in a bathtub…

The Days of Being Prosperous
A Night in Nude is, thankfully, more of a crime flick than pinku production; however, it does contain a fair share of NSFW sequences, especially in the third act. On the whole, the movie feels very neo-noir with its dense atmosphere, night scenes, and just breathtaking cinematography that captured the image of post-Bubble Japan. You could literally frame all the master shots from the film and hang them on your wall.

Come to think of it, the story of A Night in Nude is a social commentary on the situation of Japan in the 1990s. Jiro is a man without a purpose who lives in a country that desperately wants to keep up appearances of glamour and lavish lifestyle, but the whole thing is an illusion because they are living on a lease, borrowing stuff rather than paying for it.

This is very much the case with femme fatale of the picture, Nami, who desperately tries to breakaway from the roots in poverty and criminal underworld to finally become a respectable member of the fake society. However, what she does in order to fulfil her dream only consumes her morality, in a very Dostoevsky-like manner.

With regard to performances, it is a weird experience for me watching young Naoto Takenaka in action, but he effortlessly portrays a sympathetic guy who is knee-deep in an affair that is beyond his professional expertise. Kimiko Yo is absolutely outstanding in the role of a tragic woman who commits a crime. It is a real shame that this actress gets mainly supporting roles nowadays. Kippei Shiina is, unfortunately, unconvincing as a homosexual yakuza sidekick. Jinpachi Nezu is okay as the villain of the picture, but his screen time is limited.

Recommendations
All things considered, I do not regret watching this film. It was an interesting experience indeed, but I think the movie would have been better had the last 20 minutes got cut. Sadly, this final section of the film only washes over a satisfying resolution and provides only the shock value. Then again, cinematography in the film is just beautiful. Interestingly, Ishii made a sequel to this film 17 years later called A Night in Nude: Salvation (2010). So I may give it a try, just to see my boy Naoto Takenaka in noir action again.Overall score: 7/10

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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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Dearest (2012) [Film Review]

Dearest; or, Love Conquers All

This week’s review will be about the last movie in the acting career of the late Ken Takakura, directed by his frequent collaborator Yasuo Furuhata.

Release Info

Directed by: Yasuo Furuhata Starring: Ken Takakura, Yūko Tanaka, Kōichi Satō, Tsuyoshi Kusanagi
Language: Japanese Original Title: Anata e Runtime: 110 min

Plot

The film tells the story of Eiji Kurashima (Ken Takakura), an aged prison guard mourning his wife who has recently passed away. Shortly after the cremation of her body, Kurashima receives a letter in which his wife asks him to scatter her ashes in her hometown in Nagasaki Prefecture. In consequence, Kurashima sets out on a picturesque and phantasmagorical journey through Japan, recalling the memories of his wife, and meeting a variety of interesting strangers along the way.

Something more than just a love story

From the synopsis above, you may infer that Dearest is just another standard melodrama about getting over the loss of a loved one. Well, I beg to disagree. In this picture, Yasuo Furuhata managed to connect together elements of a road film, a drama, and a human interest story. The character of Mr Kurashima is a standard everyman who spent the majority of his life in loneliness until one day, he finally discovered his true love. Yet, after the wife's passing, he goes on a journey that the two always wanted to make; and I’ve got to say that Kurashima’s travel is taken almost straight from the pages of Haruki Murakami’s novels. We not only get an overview of Japan’s most beautiful tourist landmarks, but also meet several bizarre yet extraordinary individuals who are just as lost in their daily existence as Kurashima.

Dearest marks the last performance of Ken Takakura in his acting career (unfortunately, he died in 2014); however, just as in his previous works, he gives a magnificent performance also in this picture. Although it is pretty odd to see an 80-year-old prison guard still on duty and married to a woman in her 60s, Takakura makes it believable and hence adds more reality into Mr Kurashima’s character, making him seem more tragic.

The supporting actors also did a fine job, especially Tsuyoshi Kusanagi and Kōichi Satō as Kurashima’s “friends on the road”. Yūko Tanaka as Mrs Kurashima was also convincing, however, she appears only in flashbacks. Even Takeshi Kitano appears in two scenes and gives a solid performance as always. The music score is calm and soothing, but at times forgettable, constituting the only disadvantage of the whole film.

Recommendations

I recommend this film to everyone who would like to spend a quiet evening, see a simple story with a bit of a twist, and have a cathartic experience. I even tend to believe that Dearest outweighs Ken Takakura’s other travel film Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles in terms of screenplay and scenography. If you like Yasuo Furuhata’s other films or the uplifting style of Haruki Murakami novels, Dearest is definitely the movie for you. Watch it and it will leave you in high spirits.

Overall score: 9/10