The Criterion Chronicles - Cure

This is an ongoing series in which I chronicle the films of the Criterion Collection that I watch. I will include a brief synopsis and my thoughts. I usually watch these films on Hulu Plus' Criterion Channel..... I am currently paid by neither..

Kiyoshi Kurosawa's 1997 film is centered around a wave of murders in Tokyo that baffle the police. The murderers are found dazed and confused but calm with no explanation for a motive to the murders. Detective Takabe and police Psychologist Sakuma team up to connect the dots. A strange young man shows up and appears to be suffering from the some type of amnesia, Takabe suspects he is the key and attempts to make sense of it all through a series of interrogations.

This film felt kind of like Japan's answer to "Se7en" from a couple years prior. It was a psychological thriller

revolving around gruesome deaths at the hands of a complicated killer. It's much more of a slow and meditative thriller than it's American counterparts and with a considerably lower death toll. This is probably all relative considering the lower crime rate of the Eastern metropolis but I think some film fans may find that it drags a bit. I thought it was great.

This film strikes a great balance between pensive and spine-chilling. It's pacing lends itself amazingly to the type of matter-of-fact violence that I love from the films of the Coen brothers. There's a great flow throughout and the shocking moments are truly off-putting. I really appreciate a film that can do this as they are few and far between.

Aside from being a murder mystery crime caper police procedural, this film adds a supernatural twist and a great dramatic sidestory. It is very rare to find all of this in a film that clocks in at less than 2 hours. This is great because I almost always check the running time before I watch a film. I'm not allergic to longer films, I just typically don't have enough time to watch one that's much more than 2 hours and it's great to be able to explore so much ground in such a small amount of time. It feels like a good value.

Ultimately, I really enjoyed this film and I think its something that most fans of police procedurals and crime dramas will respond to it. Some will undoubtedly however, find it a bit too slow.

 

Enjoy.