Midweek Movie Madness: Cure Review!

Seems like it's been ages since I did a proper review, and honestly I thought it'd still be some time before I did another one. The gods of bootlegging must have noticed the gap however, and sometime late last week a copy of Kiyoshi Kurosawa's Cure made it into my grubby hands. I'd been looking for it forever (especially on the durian market) but here it is, and God what a ride it was.

Combining elements of mysticism, mystery and homicide, Cure (or Kyua as it's spelled in Japan) is the story of troubled homicide detective Kenichi Takabe (Koji Yakusho). There's a wave of seemingly random murders sweeping Tokyo, with the only connection a large "X" slashed into the throats of the victims. The presence of multiple murderers (all of whom seem dazed after the fact) who have little or no connection to their victims complicates matters more until Takabe catches up with the mysterious Mamiya (Masato Hagiwara) who seems to possess a strange hypnotic power. As his investigation continues Takabe finds himself drawn deeper and deeper into the case as he struggles to come to terms with what Mamiya really is..

I wish I could say more. Really I do. But telling you any more about the plot would be akin to giving out spoilers, and this reviewer knows his audience never wants that, do they? This film combines the elements of Se7en and Silence Of The Lambs with a surrealistic semi-supernatural take on the psychology of murder and mashes them into a mix that cannot help but draw the viewer in. Kiyoshi Kurosawa (no relation to the late, great Akira) is a relatively new name in the business, although in the past several years he's come up with a couple of interesting entries including this one. As outlined above, the basic premise of Cure is simple. It's the execution that makes all the difference.

Methodically paced, Kurosawa manages to inject tension and horror into the most innocent scenes (catch the scene with the two policemen). You are part of Takabe's downward spiral as he deals with his existence, and of his (slightly neurotic?) wife, the systematic murder of a man by a doctor and part of the complex web that Mamiya is at the centre of, until its denouement. There is never a brutality to the murders, and it all happens for no discernible human motive (the term I like is matter-of-fact). It is this, in effect that makes the film work so well. Granted, by the time the end credits roll more often than not the audience will be wondering "what the hell was that?" but the film leaves an indelible mark on you, making you ask questions you could swear Mamiya was asking earlier on.

One of the things that struck me was how some of the imagery stayed with me even days after my first viewing, and which prompted me to do a bit of reading on my own. That in itself is a remarkable thing. At the end of the day Cure is a love-it-or-hate-it affair. Some will delight in its dark overtones and purposely vague ending, while others will curse and ask for their two hours back. The slow pacing will seem ponderous to some, and there are a few too many questions left unanswered. All in all, if you're a fan of Japanese cinema or looking for something different you'd do well to check this one out.

In the meantime, I'm getting back to John Cleese's How To Irritate People skit. It's a hoot! Coming up next (as soon as I can get my hands on them that is) are Takashi Miike's Gozu and then Izo!

Ash.ox gives Cure a 3.5 out of 5