a film noir; a Japanese film noir or neo noir; so expect a very nice photography; expressionism; play with shadows; psychologically affected characters; blur between good and evil; "squared dialogues", etc. The movie is very good in all those aspects but the plot is somewhat difficult to believe; most in Japan and in such small towns. Where s the Police some one would think?; so, in my opinion, that s not what the director is trying to show us; is more in the direction of the simplicity/complexity of the Human relationships. These ambivalent situations are found here and follow a nice slow simple pace from start to end. The dialogues or even the non dialogues between the murder and the victims are so Japanese, so stoic that are near funny, due the situation. I think is not for everyone but for some one that is interested in stage plays (theater) or in this specific genre, is a good choice. -A side note is that if you have a solid intermediate level of Japanese language, you can understand almost all what the characters are saying. Very clearly dialogues and with common phrases.
2 Reviews
cold and beautiful
nalle_bjorn16 March 2001
Set in freezing Japanese winter, Koroshi (=killing/film noir in Japanese) is a quite typically Japanese movie, first and foremost inspired by Melville and to a lesser extent by fellow countryman Takeshi Kitano.
The main character is a normal Japanese worker who is now unemployed - a fact he hides from his wife by spending his day at a gambling hall and making "salary payments" to himself. One day he is contacted by a mystery man who offers him a job as a contract killer. The job is easy, just shoot at the neck, never look in the eyes. And then: run. The man accepts this and soon finds new meaning and joy in life...
The movie is absurd, and a thoroughly original take on the morale in Japanese society. The images are beautiful, and the people are as cold as the snow that surrounds them. The take on Melville's "Samoraï" from -67 is obvious, but Kobayashi turns the image around and portrays the killer as the weakest person in the movie - haunted by his demanding wife and the moaning contractor, who is one of the most mysterious characters ever portrayed in a movie.
Perhaps the sound is the most masterful feature of this film. The humming of the wind power stations and the creaking sound of snow under boots leaves you chilled and muted. I left 'Koroshi' freezing, but I can't wait to get back in.
The main character is a normal Japanese worker who is now unemployed - a fact he hides from his wife by spending his day at a gambling hall and making "salary payments" to himself. One day he is contacted by a mystery man who offers him a job as a contract killer. The job is easy, just shoot at the neck, never look in the eyes. And then: run. The man accepts this and soon finds new meaning and joy in life...
The movie is absurd, and a thoroughly original take on the morale in Japanese society. The images are beautiful, and the people are as cold as the snow that surrounds them. The take on Melville's "Samoraï" from -67 is obvious, but Kobayashi turns the image around and portrays the killer as the weakest person in the movie - haunted by his demanding wife and the moaning contractor, who is one of the most mysterious characters ever portrayed in a movie.
Perhaps the sound is the most masterful feature of this film. The humming of the wind power stations and the creaking sound of snow under boots leaves you chilled and muted. I left 'Koroshi' freezing, but I can't wait to get back in.
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