L: Change the World (2008)

User Rating:

6.0/10   

Director:

Hideo Nakata

Writers:

Tsugumi Ôba (story) &
Takeshi Obata (story) ...
(more)

Release Date:

2009 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Horror | Thriller

Tagline:

The final death note showdown!

Plot:

A spin-out sequel to the popular Japanese thriller. This time it focuses on the character "L."

Plot Keywords:

Character Name In Title

Cast

Ken'ichi Matsuyama	...	L
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Sota Aoyama	...	Detective Matsuda
Shunji Fujimura	...	Watari
Tatsuya Fujiwara	...	Light Yagami
Mayuko Fukuda	...	Maki Nikaido
Narushi Fukuda	...	BOY
Sei Hiraizumi	...	Dr. Koichi Matsudo
Shigeki Hosokawa	...	FBI Agent Ray
Renji Ishibashi	...	Shin Kagami
Yuta Kanai	...	Tamotsu Yoshizawa
Youki Kudoh	...	Dr. Mikiko Kujo
Tim Man	...	Scientist
Bokuzo Masana	...	Asao Konishi
Shido Nakamura	...	Ryuuk (voice)
Kazuki Namioka	...	F
Kiyotaka Nanbara	...	Hideaki Suruga
Megumi Sato	...	Hatsune Misawa
Asaka Seto	...	Naomi Misora
Ron Smoorenburg	...	Sergeant
Masanobu Takashima	...	Daisuke Matoba
Yoji Tanaka	...	Taxi Driver
Erika Toda	...	Misa Amane
Shingo Tsurumi	...	Kimihiko Nikaido
David Bueno	...	Scientist (uncredited)
Lex de Groot	...	Scientist (uncredited)

Directed by
Hideo Nakata

Writing credits
Tsugumi Ôba		(story and characters) &
Takeshi Obata		(story and characters)
Kiyomi Fujii		writer
Hirotoshi Kobayashi		writer

Produced by
Nobuhiro Iizuka	....	producer
Katsu Kamikura	....	co-executive producer
Takahiro Kobashi	....	producer
Seiji Okuda	....	executive producer
Hironao Ryoki	....	co-executive producer
Takahiro Sato	....	producer
Tadashi Tanaka	....	producer

Original Music by
Kenji Kawai

Cinematography by
Tokusho Kikumura

Film Editing by
Nobuyuki Takahashi

Casting by
Takefumi Yoshikawa

Art Direction by
Kyôko Yauchi

Makeup Department
Yoshihiro Nishimura	....	special makeup effects artist
Setsuko Yoshino	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Tatsuya Mouri	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Ryuichi Saeki	....	first assistant director

Sound Department
Masato Komatsu	....	sound

Camera and Electrical Department
Hiroki Nakamura	....	gaffer

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Makie Miyamoto	....	wardrobe supervisor

Other crew
Ryô Kosugi	....	publicist
Sean Muramatsu	....	dialogue coach

Production Companies

• Horipro
• L Film Partners
• Nikkatsu Pictures
• Nippon Television Network Corporation (NTV)
• Shochiku Company
• Shueisha
• Video Audio Project (VAP)
• Warner Bros.
• Yomiuri Telecasting Corporation (YTV)

Distributors

• Encore Films (2008) (Singapore) (theatrical)
• Eurozoom (2009) (France) (theatrical)
• Golden Village Entertainment (2008) (Singapore) (theatrical)
• Sponge (2008) (South Korea) (theatrical)
• Viz Pictures (2008) (USA) (theatrical)
• Warner Bros. (2008) (Japan) (theatrical)
• 4Digital Media (2008) (UK) (DVD) (as 4Digital Asia)
• Kaze (2009) (France) (DVD)
• Nippon Television Network Corporation (NTV) (2008) (Japan) (TV)
• Video Audio Project (VAP) (2008) (Japan) (DVD)
• Viz Video (2009) (USA) (DVD)

Other Companies

• Continental Far East  Dolby consultant
• Hoei Sangyo Co. Ltd.  film supplied by
• Imagica  digital intermediate
• Imagica  film processing
• Kantana Animation Co. Ltd.  film processing: Thailand scenes
• NAC Image Technology  camera equipment provided by
• Nihon Shomei Co.  lighting equipment provided by
• Nikkatsu Studio  sound stages
• OS Productions  thanks
• Sanwa Cine Equipment  camera equipment provided by
• Sanwa Pro Light  lighting equipment provided by
• V.S. Services  camera and lighting equipment provided by: Thailand scenes

Also Known As:

Spin-Off L (Japan) (working title)
The Last 21 Days of L (Japan) (working title)
Untitled Death Note Sequel (Japan) (working title)

Runtime:

Japan:129 min

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital | DTS

Certification:

Hong Kong:IIB | Singapore:PG | South Korea:15 | Malaysia:U | Australia:MA | New Zealand:R13

Filming Locations:

Bangkok, Thailand

Company:

Horipro

Goofs:

Continuity: When the necklace is passed and the shot changes angle, the necklace changes from stuffed in the hand to neatly dangling.

Movie Connections:

Follows Desu nôto (2006)

Soundtrack:

I'll be waiting

A good conclusion

I am a big fan of Death Note and was very satisfied with the 'stunning conclusion' as promised on the DVD case. I think L is a very intriguing character and it was interesting to see a different side to the previous L we had encountered in Death Note 1 and 2. I think Kenichi Matsuyama is a remarkable actor and played his role exceptionally. I heard that he put a lot of his own thoughts and ideas into the character, who he seems to be very attached to from what I've seen in interviews. I can't imagine any other actor who could have played the role as well as Kenichi Matsuyama. He brings a kind of mystery and charm to the character, and you instantly feel drawn to him. The plot itself is attention-grabbing and it was nice to have a change to the usual Death Note story line. I think any more movies following that story line would have become slightly repetitive. The leap through different stages of time helped the viewer to understand elements they may not have fully understood from Death Note 1 and 2. The ending was well written and slightly heart-breaking, I still always feel like crying every time I hear L say his last line. Overall, I think it was a superb movie and definitely worth watching if you are a fan of Death Note.