Sakebi (2006)

A detective investigates a series of murders. A possible serial killer might be on a rampage, since they all are in the same vicinity and by the same method, but as the evidence points ... See full summary »

Director:

Kiyoshi Kurosawa

Writer:

Kiyoshi Kurosawa

Stars:

Kôji Yakusho, Manami Konishi, Tsuyoshi Ihara

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Kôji Yakusho	...	Noboru Yoshioka
Manami Konishi	...	Harue Nimura
Tsuyoshi Ihara	...	Tôru Miyaji
Hiroyuki Hirayama	...	Wakai Keiji Sakurai
Ikuji Nakamura	...	Shôichi Sakuma
Ryo Kase	...	Sagyôsen no Sen'in (as Ryô Kase)
Kaoru Okunuki	...	Miyuki Yabe
Hironobu Nomura	...	Seiji Onoda
Jin Muraki	...	Kenshikan Furuya
Hajime Inoue	...	Keiji
Naoko Miyake	...	Kangofu
Yôko Chôsokabe	...	Kangofu
Takahiro Sato	...	Sakuma no Musuko Yûsuke (as Takahiro Satô)
Kenkichi Watanabe	...	Shiryôgakari
Kaoru Mizuki	...	Shibata Reiko no Hahaoya

Storyline

A detective investigates a series of murders. A possible serial killer might be on a rampage, since they all are in the same vicinity and by the same method, but as the evidence points toward the detective as the prime suspect, a ghost in red follows him, and he begins to question his identity. His realization of what seems to have really happened results in something much more sinister and larger in scope, and it leaves his psyche scarred.

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Plot Keywords:

murder | ghost | red | serial killer | identity | 

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Genres:

Horror | Mystery | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for some violent content

Details

Official Sites:

Official site [jp]

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Release Date:

24 February 2007 (Japan)

Also Known As:

Castigo

Filming Locations:

Ariake Station, Koto, Tokyo, Japan

Company Credits

Production Co:

Tokyo Broadcasting System (TBS), Entertainment Farm (EF), Avex Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

104 min 103 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Connections

Follows Reincarnation (2005)

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Soundtracks

"Kaze ni naru"
Written by Ataru Nakamura
Performed by Ataru Nakamura
Courtesy of Avex Trax

User Reviews

Disappointing : Kaïro repeating !

Kyoshi Kurosawa is a talented but maybe too prolific director. Since the early 90's, he had almost directed 30 movies. No wonder that, when Takashige Ichise, the master producer of J-Horror ("Ring", "The Grudge") asks him to direct one of the Jap-Horror trilogy movie along with Hideo Nakata and Shimizu, you get a little feeling of "Déjà-vu" in front of his new movie : "Sakebi" (Retribution).

Of course, there's still lots of excellent ideas in the movie, and some parts are majestically directed : all the ghosts apparitions are really beautiful, and the movie take there and then an experimental approach in their representation. It almost looks like a modern art installation. Some shots are also really well thought, as the one of the interrogation of a suspect, filmed in continuation, with the help of a mirror in the back in order to create a double space. But the most original aspect of the movie is the depiction of the modern Tokyo, witch doesn't look modern at all. In the movie, the city looks like a post-war town, everything is rotten and lugubre, there's nobody in the dark streets. You don't often see such a representation of Japan, far from the clichés of the ultra-modern society it's supposed to be.

But the problem is that all this was ultimately in others Kurosawa's movies, as if he wanted to offer a sort of best-of his previous works here. His style haven't change, and the story isn't really surprising for any "Kaïro"'s spectator. This lack of surprise leads to a feeling of boringness, and I couldn't get out of my mind, after the movie, the idea that it was clearly unoriginal (for a Kurosawa's movie, of course) and a little bit too long (maybe cutting 20 minutes of the movie would have been a good thing).

But all in all, this movie is a good introduction to his tormented universe, and for those who already know it, well, a new Kyoshi Kurosawa's movie certainly comes out in 3 months.