This is a Ken Takakura vehicle, and as such follows his formula. Takakura plays to type as the laconic brooder who suffers multiple tragedies with manly stoicism. While the variety of his film varied greatly, his films with director Yasuo Furuhata were always of the highest quality, and this is no exception. Takakura is a cop training to be a sharpshooter for the Olympic games, he divorces his wife and abandons his daughter when he discovers she's had an affair. Later his coach is gunned down by a fleeing criminal. Years later Takakura returns to his snowy hometown and starts an affair with a middle-aged bar owner. The story is a bit thick, with a number of subplots, yet it is extrordinarily melancholic, as Takakura seems to regret everything he's done in his life and is made over and over again to relive his mistakes. There is very little "action" as such, and no yakuzas of any kind; but beyond that this is one of the most lushly beautiful and emotional films you can see (if you can see it), with an excellent score by Ryudo Uzaki.
2 Reviews
Leaves you thinking
ReadingFilm5 January 2023
It is fatalistic and cyclical. A work of philosophy with a structure that is thought provoking well past the ending. "What did that look mean?" "Why did she do that?" It is anchored by the lead performance of such layers. While he is terrorized by his past he unwittingly makes entirely new mistakes. Mistakes that, in Shakesperean tradition, could not be avoided.
The film is a true visual experience, with scenes that have a palpable sense of atmosphere like nothing else. The snow-covered setting is rendered with such vividness that it feels you are there.
But it's not just the cinematography that impresses; pretty picture on their own do not inspire. It is the feelings of these images. The filmmakers understand how to get in our psyche through a cozy sense of atmosphere.
The performances are equally evocative, with every expression carrying the weight of a panoramic vista. Every scene of quietness is like a puzzle. It is the rare mix of an adult drama, but also a cop film at its core. It delivers all the staples of the genre: hostage situations, shootouts, and surprise attacks. What more can one ask for? It is a film for film lovers.
The film is a true visual experience, with scenes that have a palpable sense of atmosphere like nothing else. The snow-covered setting is rendered with such vividness that it feels you are there.
But it's not just the cinematography that impresses; pretty picture on their own do not inspire. It is the feelings of these images. The filmmakers understand how to get in our psyche through a cozy sense of atmosphere.
The performances are equally evocative, with every expression carrying the weight of a panoramic vista. Every scene of quietness is like a puzzle. It is the rare mix of an adult drama, but also a cop film at its core. It delivers all the staples of the genre: hostage situations, shootouts, and surprise attacks. What more can one ask for? It is a film for film lovers.
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