is a 2018 Japanese mystery thriller directed by

Takashi Miike is a Japanese film director, film producer and screenwriter. He has directed over one hundred theatrical, video, and television productions since his debut in 1991. His films run through a variety of different genres, and range from violent a ...

. It is an adaptation of the novel of the same name by

Keigo Higashino is a Japanese author chiefly known for his mystery novels. He served as the 13th President of Mystery Writers of Japan from 2009 to 2013. Higashino has won major Japanese awards for his books, almost twenty of which have been turned into films a ...

, published on May 15, 2015.

Plot

When two people are poisoned with hydrogen sulfide, the police call in the aid of the

geochemistry Geochemistry is the science that uses the tools and principles of chemistry to explain the mechanisms behind major geological systems such as the Earth's crust and its oceans. The realm of geochemistry extends beyond the Earth, encompassing the ...

professor Shusuke Aoe to solve the mystery of their deaths.

Cast

Shō Sakurai (born January 25, 1982) is a Japanese singer, songwriter, rapper, actor, news anchor, host and former radio host. He is a member of the boy band Arashi. Sakurai began his career in the entertainment industry when he joined the Japanese talent ...

as Shusuke Aoe *

Suzu Hirose is a Japanese actress and model. Despite her young age, she is widely regarded as one of the most promising Japanese actresses of her generation. Biography Hirose debuted as a model for Japanese fashion magazine '' Seventeen'', alongside her si ...

as Madoka Uhara * Sōta Fukushi as Kento Amakasu *

Mirai Shida is a Japanese actress. She became recognized after her breakthrough role as Kazumi Kanda in "''Joō no Kyōshitsu''" ("The Queen's Classroom") leading her to more prominent roles, such as Miki Ichinose in '' 14-year-old Mother''. Biography She ...

as Tetsu Okunishi * Eriko Satō as Chisato Mizuki *

Tao Okamoto , known professionally as Tao, is a Japanese actress and model, who is alongside Ai Tominaga and Hiroko Matsumoto, one of the biggest models from Japan. In 2009, she was one of the faces of Ralph Lauren. She made her film debut as the female le ...

as Rei Kirimiya * Rei Dan as Mina Uhara *

Masanobu Takashima is a Japanese film and television actor. Career He has appeared in over 20 television productions and ten films in Japan and other countries as well. Takashima appeared as Daisuke Matoba in the 2008 film '' L: Change the World'' (also known a ...

as Toru Takeo *

Lily Franky is a Japanese illustrator, writer and actor. He has appeared in more than 40 films since 2001. Career In 2016, Franky received the Cut Above Award for Outstanding Performance in Film at Japan Cuts JAPAN CUTS: Festival of New Japanese Film is a ...

as Dr. Zentaro Uhara *

Hiroshi Tamaki is a Japanese actor, singer, and model from Nagoya, Japan. When he was still in high school, he was discovered by a talent agent while out shopping with friends. He made his debut in the drama ''Am I Weird?'' (私ってへん？ ''Watashitte Hen ...

as Yuji Nakaoka *

Etsushi Toyokawa is a Japanese actor. Biography Born in Yao, Osaka, he studied at Shimizudani High School is a prestigious Japanese public co-educational senior high school (secondary school), located in Tennōji-ku, Osaka, Japan. Overview Shimizudan ...

as Saisei Amakasu

Production

Filming began on March 16, 2017, and lasted until April 2017.

Reception

The film received generally negative reviews, with most reviewers pointing out the difference in quality between it and Miike's other work. In a review for '' Yahoo! Lifestyle'', reviewer Marcus Goh stated that the main problem with the film "is that there's no storytelling whatsoever. Each scene is made up of copious exposition dumps, with absolutely no foreshadowing or setup of what is to happen next. Things happen because the plot dictates it to be so, rather than through the effort of the characters. The mystery is solved because of a convoluted explanation that’s provided to you, with no prior indication that any of this might have been the case." He further criticizes the main actor, writing, "Sakurai's performance is bland and uninspiring, to the point that even he looks bored at the character he’s playing." In a review for the Canadian magazine '' Exclaim!'', reviewer Laura Di Girolamo concluded that "this is a run-of-the-mill Japanese drama thriller that could have used a bit more of that Miike edge to really make it work." Reviewer Rob Hunter of

Film School Rejects Film School Rejects is an American blog devoted to movie reviews, interviews, film industry news, and feature commentary. It was founded by Neil Miller in February 2006. The site was nominated for Best News Blog by ''Total Film'' magazine and na ...

wrote that the film "is a mystery with some mildly supernatural elements, but forget suspenseful — this movie’s not even interesting." Reviewer J Hurtado of

Screen Anarchy Screen Anarchy, previously known as Twitch Film or Twitch, is a Canadian English-language website featuring news and reviews of mainly international, independent and cult films. The website was founded in 2004 by Todd Brown. In addition to films, ...

wrote that "legendary director Miike Takashi takes a stab at the idea with his adaptation of Higoshino Keigo's novel of the same name makes an attempt that sadly falls far flat of what we've come to expect from this veteran filmmaker." Reviewer Richard Gray of ''The Reel Bits'' called it a "slow-moving adaptation that never quite develops its multiple story threads" and concluded that "at two hours the film long overstays its welcome." The film earned $10.9 million at the Japanese box office.

References

External links

* {{OLM films 2010s Japanese films 2018 films 2010s mystery thriller films Japanese mystery thriller films 2010s Japanese-language films Japanese detective films Films based on Japanese novels Films directed by Takashi Miike OLM, Inc. films Warner Bros. films Films based on works by Keigo Higashino