10/10
cinematography is flawless, visually stunning, slow paced, artsy, so definitely worth seeing
21 April 2007
I rented this movie at our local library, mainly because of Asano Tadanobu. (One of my favorite Asian actors because he fits in any role, and he's good looking.)

This movie is very artsy, the kind of movie you don't find in the videostore around the corner. Which is kinda sad, because this movie really deserves to be seen. It's more of a visual experience than a movie, I think. The photography is so beautifully done, that it's almost superior to the story and the characters. (Which I like because I study photography :) I will definitely add Christopher Doyle to my favorite cinematographers list.

I haven't seen such a moving (as in: kinda sad) slow paced movie since David Lynch' The Straight Story. You just have to sit back and relax. Turn off your cell phone, dim the lights, so you're not disturbed in any way. Now you're able to follow the characters through abandoned towns, a mysterious ship and in the end, the world of the criminals. This movie really does something to your state of mind. Mine got filled with melancholy. And it's all because of the camera. This sort of cinematography is totally not Hollywood, and maybe that's why (in my opinion) Asian movies are sometimes better in quality. (OldBoy, Infernal Affairs, Hero, to name a few.)

I've read negative comments on the message boards, and I just don't get it why people don't like this movie. If you're used to teenage horror movies, then I sure do understand. But any serious movie lover should see this, because this movie has that little touch that I miss often when seeing movies. This one has humor, sadness, all the elements that make a movie great. It just doesn't have the usual pace. Let's just say it's the complete opposite of Fox' "24". But that's not a reason to bash it. This was done on purpose and for this movie and it's theme and the main character that we follow throughout the movie, it works perfectly. It deserves a 10 because in it's way it's refreshing, and I hope to see more of these in the future.
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