Film
What's on at the cinema plus reviews of the latest movie and DVD releases
Bookmark this pageDeath Note (2006)
Director: Shusuke Kaneko
Movie review
From Time Out London
Someone is killing Japan’s most notorious criminals: murderers, drug dealers, corrupt politicians, each one collapsing of a fatal heart attack with no clue as to the identity of the killer, or his methods. A cult springs up: to some, the mysterious executioner is an avenging angel, to others a brutal vigilante. He is, in fact, law student Light Yagami, whose possession of the mysterious ‘Death Note’ allows him to kill anyone, anywhere, at any time.Adapted from a popular Japanese TV series (itself inspired by a long running manga), ‘Death Note’ carries a lot of narrative baggage, populated with enigmatic characters and sporting random subplots seemingly unconnected to the main narrative.
But such a history also lends the film weight and confidence, its complex mythology convincingly mapped out. The first half moves at a breakneck pace as Light’s killing spree gathers momentum. But towards the end things grow darker and more complex, leading to a satisfyingly emotive and unresolved finale and leaving the door wide for the inevitable and welcome sequel.
Author: Tom Huddleston
Time Out London Issue 1966 April 24-30, 2008
User reviews of this film
-
- John said...
- Posted on Apr 26 2008 17:55 One of the best Japanese films I have seen....Can't wait for the follow up!
- Report as inappropriate
-
- yduric said...
- Posted on Apr 24 2008 12:31 I do perfectly well understand why this film belong's to Timeout's critics' choice: it is extremely well crafted and once again shows a very good characteristic gaining more and more ground in contemporary japanese cinema: a great originality, mixed with what I would call a 'refreshing clever and healthy' madness. This film is really fascinating. By the way, I can inform you that the sequel was actually released in Japan only a couple of months ater the first film, and I am eagerly waiting for its release in Europe.
- Report as inappropriate
Cast & crew
Director: Shusuke Kaneko
Cast: Tatsuya Fujiwara, Ken'ichi Matsuyama, Asaka Seto
Genre(s): Horror
Rated: 15
Duration: 126 mins
UK Release: Apr 25 2008
Most popular on this site
Top Stories
Time Out's 101 Films of the Decade
Ten years, thousands of movies and millions of dollars in international box office, and it all boils down to this
Martin Provost discusses 'Séraphine'
Trevor Johnston talks to the director of 'Séraphine' about bringing a little known French painter back to life
Our verdict on Peter Jackson's The Lovely Bones
Peter Jackson ends a triumphant decade with a sentimental misfire with this lush Alice Sebold adaptation
On the set of Ken Loach's 'Route Irish'
Dave Calhoun meets Ken Loach on the set of his forthcoming Iraq war movie
Stephen Poliakoff discusses 'Glorious 39'
Stephen Poliakoff’s ‘Glorious 39’ is his first film for cinema since ‘Food of Love’ in 1997. Dave Calhoun met him
Is 'Paranormal Activity' the new 'Blair Witch'?
How does a film go from DIY experiment to box-office smash? 'Paranormal Activity' director Oren Peli explains
Steven Soderbergh on 'The Informant!' and 'The Girlfriend Experience'
We talk to Steven Soderbergh about his two forthcoming films: one featuring a porn star, the other a chubby Matt Damon
A gateway to all things 'New Moon'
In anticipation of 'The Twilight Saga: New Moon', Time Out is offering the chance to pick up a limited edition pack with three exclusive magazines and a free poster.
The films that deserve a TV spin-off
With Roland Emmerich suggesting he'd like to make a '2012' TV spin-off, we propose some more movie-to-TV serialisations
Time Out's 50 greatest animated films with commentary by Terry Gilliam
In celebration of the release of Pixar's 'Up' and Wes Anderson's 'Fantastic Mr Fox', read our rundown of fifty classic feature length animations
What do you think?
Post your review now