One Missed Call (2003)

People mysteriously start receiving voicemail messages from their future selves, in the form of the sound of them reacting to their own violent deaths.

Director:

Takashi Miike

Writers:

Yasushi Akimoto (novel), Minako Daira (screenplay) (as Miwako Daira)

Stars:

Ko Shibasaki, Shin'ichi Tsutsumi, Kazue Fukiishi

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Ko Shibasaki	...	Yumi Nakamura (as Kô Shibasaki)
Shin'ichi Tsutsumi	...	Hiroshi Yamashita
Kazue Fukiishi	...	Natsumi Konishi
Anna Nagata	...	Yoko Okazaki
Atsushi Ida	...	Kenji Kawai
Mariko Tsutsui	...	Marie Mizunuma
Kumiko Imai
Keiko Tomita
Kayoko Fujii
Yoshiko Noda
Azusa	...	Ritsuko Yamashita
Tetsushi Tanaka
Mitsuhiro Sato
Kaoru Hanaki
Hassei Takano

Storyline

People mysteriously start receiving voicemail messages from their future selves, in the form of the sound of them reacting to their own violent deaths, along with the exact date and time of their future death, listed on the message log. The plot thickens as the surviving characters pursue the answers to this mystery which could save their lives.

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Plot Keywords:

death | message | asthma | sound | hospital | 

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Taglines:

Death cannot be put on hold...

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Genres:

Horror | Mystery

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for violence, disturbing images and brief nudity

Details

Official Sites:

Official site [Germany] Official site [Spain]

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese English

Release Date:

17 January 2004 (Japan)

Also Known As:

One Missed Call

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$542,580 (Japan), 16 January 2004, Limited Release

Company Credits

Production Co:

Kadokawa-Daiei Eiga K.K.

Technical Specs

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

In the Philippines, the movie poster carries the tagline "For the creators of The Ring and Juon: The Grudge 2." The two mentioned movies have no connection with this movie (except both movies also came from Japan where this movie was originated).

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Quotes

Yoko Okazaki: Oh no, it's raining.

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Connections

Referenced in Entrei em Pânico ao Saber o que Vocês Fizeram na Sexta-feira 13 do Verão Passado Parte 2 - A Hora da Volta da Vingança dos Jogos Mortais de Halloween (2011)

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Soundtracks

Ikutsuka no Sora
(Few Skies)
Vocal by Ko Shibasaki (as Kou Shibasaki)
Written by Yasushi Akimoto
Composed by Jin Nakamura
Arranged by Chokkaku
Universal J / Chimera Energy

User Reviews

A well made horror, courtesy of Miike Takashi.

Most Japanese movies are considered as low-budget compared to their Hollywood counterparts. This is because their production costs are so high. However this factor does not deter Japanese creative production teams to come up with movie gems, in different genres.

In the realm of Japanese horrors for example, a studio working with a limited budget has to resort to Jaws-style direction, in which you hardly see or visualise the ghosts/monsters.

And it is through the movie's simplicity, or by not showing/explaining too much, that J-horrors have turned up the notch on the haunting and horror levels through movies such as Ring and Dark Water. Of course there are the still plenty of gorefest movies such as Suicide Circles and Ichi the Killer, the latter being a courtesy of that notorious but prolific J-director, Takashi Miike.

So it is remarkable and truly rewarding to see how Miike toned down his tastes for the twisted and perverted in One Missed Call. Furthermore he implemented his flair of storytelling through symbolisms and graphic metaphors quite nicely. Any shock/gore elements were used in such a way that they serve the movie, instead of downgrading it to a cheesy flick.

In conclusion, One Missed Call satisfies on many levels, providing you keep an open mind and just enjoy the ride. Another plus of the movie is the appearances of several gorgeous J-idols, such as Kazue Fukishii and Kou Shibasaki. Nifty!