is a 2018 Japanese mystery thriller film directed by

Takashi Miike is a Japanese film director, film producer and screenwriter. He has directed over 100 feature film, video, and television productions since his debut in 1991. His films span a variety of different genres, ranging from violent and surrealism, b ...

, adapted from the 2015 novel of the same name by Keigo Higashino.

Plot

When two people are poisoned with

hydrogen sulfide Hydrogen sulfide is a chemical compound with the formula . It is a colorless chalcogen-hydride gas, and is toxic, corrosive, and flammable. Trace amounts in ambient atmosphere have a characteristic foul odor of rotten eggs. Swedish chemist ...

, 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 e ...

professor Shusuke Aoe to solve the mystery of their deaths.

Cast

* Shō Sakurai as Shusuke Aoe *

Suzu Hirose is a Japanese actress and model. Biography Hirose debuted as a model for Japanese fashion magazine '' Seventeen'', alongside her sister Alice. She gained fame when she starred with a group of actresses as the eponymous sister in the award-winn ...

as Madoka Uhara * Sōta Fukushi as Kento Amakasu * Mirai Shida as Tetsu Okunishi * Eriko Satō as Chisato Mizuki * Tao Okamoto as Rei Kirimiya * Rei Dan as Mina Uhara * Masanobu Takashima as Toru Takeo * Lily Franky as Dr. Zentaro Uhara *

Hiroshi Tamaki is a Japanese actor and singer 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?'') in ...

as Yuji Nakaoka * Etsushi Toyokawa 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! ''Exclaim!'' is a Canadian music and entertainment publisher based in Toronto, which features coverage of new music across all genres with a special focus on Canadian and emerging artists. The monthly ''Exclaim!'' print magazine publishes seven ...

'', 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 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 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