Death Note

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.