Creepy (2016) User Reviews

Risible...

[tenshi_ippikiookami · 6/10 · 29 December 2016]

but oddly engrossing.

"Creepy", by Kiyoshi Kurosawa, is quite a strange movie, strangely entertaining and gripping, but that loses steam as its running time advances, ending weirder than weird. Probably, twenty minutes less would have improved the product.

Takakura is an university teacher, former police detective, specialized in serial killers and the like. He decided to leave his job after a bad experience and has moved houses with his wife, Yasuko. But one of their neighbours, Nishino, seems to be a little bit... strange. At the same time, one of his former colleagues gets him interested in a cold case.

Cue a plot development that is a little bit of a head-scratcher, especially when it comes to the behavior some of the characters have. One thing is having people scared, afraid or worried, insecure. Another is stretching situations because they help the tension and the plot develop, even if they are not very realistic or make little sense. Sadly, Kurosawa falls a lot into the second part, mostly close to the end of the movie, where plot development after plot development will make the viewer go from: 'no, don't open that door!' to: 'come on!' pretty fast.

And it is a pity because the direction is good, with a moody atmosphere, which makes the viewer feel they can't breathe. The music, the light, the camera work... all helps to make it a suffocating experience. The acting is really good too, with Teruyuki Kagawa being the highlight again as Nishino. Kagawa can play shady or sleazy in his sleep, and he does a great job here.

Too bad that the movie falls for the cheap shocks instead of caring more about what is happening and giving sense to the story.

echoes of recent terrible tales

[christopher-underwood · 7/10 · 26 January 2018]

I enjoyed this and feel that some commentators have rather missed the point. There is criticism for the inclusion of the evidence of the girl during the first half and also at the behaviour of the wife. In both cases there is absolute clarity and relevance as far as I am concerned but possibly the film is overlong and the feeling that there is nothing happening grows if the story is not fully understood. Even when there is no wham bam action I am always happy to see those strange little Japanese streets and houses and listen to the polite niceties as the tension builds. Worth a watch and the creepy guy is certainly as creepy as they come, also true life events are alluded to and there are echoes of recent terrible tales as this horror unfolds.

It doesn't explain anything at all

[gedikreverdi · 6/10 · 24 January 2022]

The first half is creepy indeed. The neighbor, his garden with overgrown plants and the dead bodies in plastic. But then everything becomes clear that the neighbor turns his victims into obedient zombies with some drugs and nothing is explained further. It's some miraculous drug and it makes them kill for you and be there for you. The bodies in plastic looks really creepy and so is the little town. He formed another family with his new neighbors and the detective shot him when he asked him to shoot his dog so apparently the drug didn't work on him. No explanation as to why or how he achieves all these things.

Very entertaining, and certainly very CREEPY

[nohemig_karla · 7/10 · 1 April 2018]

This is one of those good, slow-burning mysteries. If you actually feel like a detective and tend to be very judgmental when it comes to mystery movies, maybe skip this one, because it WILL get frustrating. It definitely has its flaws, but this movie is definitely what I would consider a classic mystery, very reminiscent of Hitchcock's work. It will definitely make you feel very confused in some parts, and leave you thinking for quite some time after you watch it. Overall, a good mystery, very entertaining, and definitely worth watching. 7/10

Another Victory for Kurosawa

[gavin6942 · 7/10 · 26 July 2016]

Takakura is a former detective. He receives a request from his ex-colleague, Nogami, to examine a missing family case that occurred 6 years earlier. Takakura follows the memories of the only surviving family member from the case. Meanwhile, Takakura and his wife Yasuko recently moved into a new home. Their neighbor, Nishino, has a sick wife and a teenage daughter. One day, the daughter jumps into Takakura's path and tells him that the man is not her father and she doesn't know him at all.

Director Kiyoshi Kurosawa has really carved out a place for himself in the world of horror cinema. He received global recognition for "Cure" and exploded with "Pulse". After some time exploring non-horror projects, he has returned with "Creepy", which blends American-style serial killer thrillers (such as "Silence of the Lambs") with horror themes unique to Japan.

And "Creepy" is what has come to be known as the "slow burn" sort of horror film. At over two hours, very little happens in the first half. We come to understand why Takakura retired from the police force, and we meet his creepy neighbor Nishino, who has very poor social skills. But not one instance of horror can be pointed to – no jumps, no ghosts, nothing out of place. There is a death that occurs as part of a hostage situation, but it lies firmly in the category of a police / action scene, not horror.

The slower pace and build-up might make the film seem like a thriller or suspense film rather than straight horror. Granted, it is a fine line, and there is a great deal of suspense in "Creepy". But the horror aspects make themselves known in the second half and we are treated to some over-the-top imagery that calls to mind Takaski Miike's "Audition". I will not give anything away here other than to say the manner in which bodies are disposed of is a way I have never seen in a film before. (And with thousands of horror titles rattling around in my brain, that's quite a feat.)

Prolific actor Hidetoshi Nishijima makes a great leading man, exuding confidence and charm. He seems to have a bad habit of roughing up those around him (perhaps he has forgotten he retired and is now a professor), but this adds a nice edge to the character. His wife is played by Yûko Takeuchi, who might be familiar to American audiences for her part in "Ringu". TV actress Haruna Kawaguchi, who plays the victim Saki Honda, is little more than a damsel in distress, but she does that well.

Of course, the real star of the film is Teruyuki Kagawa, who expertly displays an awkward way of speaking and moving. He walks like a social outcast, if such a thing is possible. And, of course, his eyes give him that "creepy" look. Americans who only know Japanese horror actors will be new to Kagawa, but he is actually a big deal in his home country – and following in the footsteps of his father, who was in kabuki theater. I would love to see more Kagawa in the horror genre, as he definitely has a non-traditional look.

Kurosawa has another winner on his hands with "Creepy". By no means would I expect this to become as big as "Pulse" was, but it clearly has the potential to go international. And if someone decides to do an American remake, it would only shed more light on this deserving film. (No remake could capture some of the aspects that make this film intrinsically Japanese, such as the architecture. But it doesn't mean someone won't try.) "Creepy" has its North American premiere July 26, 2016 at the Fantasia International Film Festival.

As usual: intriguing concept, superficial qualities, foolishly written

[Matt345 · 31 October 2017]

I had become interested in this movie because of the director and an interest in Asian crime movies. It involves a young former detective with a background in psychoanalysis turned professor helping out with the investigation of an unsolved case of a murdered family. In the meantime a creepy weirdo moves in as his neighbour, who gives odd, contradictory signals, but ends up getting close to the protagonist and his wife in a relatively ordinary neighbourly relationship, while still being weird and regularly thoroughly creepy. It is obvious that the movie is structured towards the revelation of the guy having something to do with the unsolved case, simply by the focus that is put on the interaction between him and the detective and his wife.

So far it's okay, and one would like to watch how it ends, however as perhaps too commonly with thriller-type or crime movies, especially with a hint of horror, the writing has frustrating aspects and is often positively baffling. Problems are artificially introduced, left unresolved and drawn out so that the film will have a full run-time. Characters behave in the most pointless, unintelligent ways, but only at crucial moments. This is typically related to an unparalleled lack of communicative or reasoning ability, coupled with an uncooperative or impatient colleague/super/witness/loved one etc.

More particularly in this case, the detective's wife is first creeped out by and careful about the neighbour, while trying to stay friendly to him, however when the relationship gets only slightly better, it is indicated that she seems somehow positively intrigued by him on a personal level, although there is no lack of creepiness and awkwardness of interaction, aside from a conspicuous absence of the neighbour's supposed wife (supposedly because of a depression), and although the detective is a perfectly good guy and there is no real issue in their relationship (in fact there is not much of any emotion or relationship drama in this movie).

More than that, the detective himself is strangely reluctant and inconsistent at following his "intuition" about the guy and simply ignores and doesn't mention to his wife that the neighbour's supposed "daughter" came to him and said it is not really her father but a complete stranger... Apparently casually dismissing this as merely eccentric behaviour or a joke of the girl, while merely vaguely hinting at it to his wife as something that "creeped him out".

And when the detective turned professor finally points a colleague towards the investigation of the neighbour, and this colleague quite foolishly directly turns up for an interview at his place, and then immediately turns up as a burn victim next to the two other people who died in the fire in the house right next to the detective and the creep, he fails to mention to the superior investigator that he had pointed him towards the creep (and of course has no relation to the other dead family) but instead merely mentions that the neighbour had the TV on while the fire was raging (which is deemed far too indifferent).

When he later mentions it after all, the superior ignores it simply (angrily, for some reason, what else).

In addition to this, a witness of the unsolved case is annoyingly uncooperative and uncommunicative, always running away, and unwilling to simply look at a picture and say if she knows the person. Her avoiding behaviour and inability to even stand (the f-- -) still almost makes one want to smack her as a viewer, however it also shows a communicative inability and overindulgence of those interacting with her.

Unfortunately that is just the beginning of the oddities, after this it becomes almost completely random.

Such issues of lack of intelligence come down to foolish writing and are simply frustrating, decreasing the quality of the movie, which otherwise is competently shot and acted.

Creepy? sure it gives you that feel but it also should have been called Stupid!

[Yoshi594 · 6/10 · 11 October 2017]

The film does give fulfill it's title by giving you the creepy vibe at the start, but once the mystery is revealed in the final act, it all goes downhill from there.

Even though the movie is roughly 2 hours long, it still had some explaining to do, thus not a effective use of time.

The movie is definitely not deserving of a 90%+ freshness rating on rotten tomatoes not even a 70%.

You'll probably spend most of your time shaking your head at the actions of the characters.

SPOILERS AHEAD BEWARE

-My gripe with the movie is that they never explained what kind of drug the psychopath uses to take control of their victims.

-This movie failed to get me to care for any of the characters besides the ex- detective.

-the ex-detective isn't without his flaws, why did he go back to the witness and pester her without telling her about the new victims? he pretty much harassed her trying to get her to recognize the photo of the neighbor. That was definitely inhuman as the witness says, but also stupid on the ex-detectives part as the witness was clearly done with the case and could have been encouraged to help if he had told her about the new events.

-the wife is abysmal, she's the first one to say the neighbor is creepy yet she still persists to try and "befriend" him? I know she wasn't happy in her marriage but was she that desperate?

-It looked like Mio wasn't taking the drugs? so she was equally participating in the decimation of her family? she had many chances where she could have gotten help (she goes to school for still for crying out loud) and even a few chances to kill the psychopath. It can't be Stockholm syndrome as she does reach out to the ex-detective and gives him small clues because y'know, she wants the ex-detective to work for the answer instead of saving her family/others.

-The ending where the wife screams when she embraces her partner had me confused. Was she crying because she's having withdrawal symptoms due to the fact she acknowledges she can no longer get more of the drug? or was she crying as she would have to go back to her mediocre life with her partner?

Moderately successful

[Leofwine_draca · 6/10 · 25 August 2018]

CREEPY is a moderately successful slow-burning Japanese horror/thriller from the director who bought us the underrated PULSE. This one follows a family of rather mundane characters who end up living next door to the classic creepy neighbour: seemingly polite and respectful on the outside, but hiding more than a few dark secrets. The only real problem I have with this film is the first half an hour, which feels cluttered and undisciplined; the main aspects of the story aren't even present. About halfway through the running time it focuses down on the main story and gets quite gripping as a result. Teruyuki Kagawa gives an excellent performance as the neighbour and the film builds to a satisfying climax, although it's not quite up there with the likes of COLD FISH.

Creepy sneaks up on you and leaves you feeling and thinking at the end of the film.

[texshelters · 8/10 · 12 November 2016]

"Creepy" sneaks up on you.

For anyone who likes Japanese horror films or psychological thrillers like 'The Gift', see "Creepy." For those who like films of all kinds, "Creepy" is worth a watch.

The lead antagonist in the film is spectacular. He is definitely "Creepy." And while the title seems a bit obvious, remember, it's from the Japanese, meaning...creepy, I think. Not only are the film, subject, and characters creepy, the tension, darkness and terror creeps up and into you as you watch the film. Creepy is terrifying in a way that obvious gorefests, like 'Saw', could never be.

Kiyoshi Kurosawa, no relation to the film master Akira Kurosawa, does an excellent, if not perfect, job keeping the audience entranced in the mystery of Creepy.

Teruyuki Kagawa is amazing playing the complex Nishino, the next-store neighbor of a former police detective Takakira, played by Hidetoshi Nishijima. Along with his wife, Yasuko played by Yûko Takeuchi, they partake in a back and forth of ego, secrets, veiled threats and mystery that keeps the film moving. These actors, especially the neighbor, make this less than perfect film work.

What doesn't work in this film is that the characters far to often behave in obviously stupid ways and don't react in a timely manner to a threatening situation. I don't know how the police are trained, but when I get an open shot at a criminal that is threatening the lives of others, I take it. To sum: while the director is excellent at portraying the psychological tensions between characters and chooses shots and angles to enhance these tensions, the action scenes are awkward.

Rating: Pay Full Price.

Despite the faults in the film, the overall affect leaves one feeling and thinking something more than they did before seeing the film. That is what film at its best does.

Peace, Tex Shelters

If you like thrillers, please watch this.

[bondblackberry · 6/10 · 14 March 2017]

It is a very nice movie. The director does make you watch the movie fully engrossed. If you are a fan of psychological thrillers, this is a movie for you. However, I didn't give more than six because of some reasons. My hobby is watching thrillers and horror movies. Compared to the ones I liked the most, this movie does not fare well to meet the expectations. Besides, a life long fan of Sherlock Holmes, I am deeply disappointed by the way the detective in the movie acted; he is no more than an average person with poor deductive skills. A fan of Sherlock Holmes would be scratching his head, at times, in watching this thriller. Further, some scenes are cinematic and illogical like the scenes when a lead policemen gets lost and killed with no followup investigations. As if the movie sounded like if someone gets killed, no one will care about it. Moreover, I completely disagree with psychological manipulation. A sane mind would definitely understand what is right and wrong; in contrast, it seems like some characters in the movie sound like zombies.Nevertheless, I would recommend this movie for the thriller addicts.

Drivel well made

[Chancery_Stone · 1/10 · 28 April 2018]

A potentially great movie is spoiled by that old chestnut, completely implausible and ridiculous behaviour by the characters. The hero is told at one point , to his face, by the girl herself, that his weird neighbour is not the girl's father - our hero's expert opinion on this, as an outstanding criminal psychologist? "That was weird". I quote. His wife is continually harassed by the weird neighbour - does she tell her husband? Hell, no. That would be too intelligent. Towards the end we see that she has track marks right down her arm from being drugged - does the fabulous criminal psychologist notice? Nope. His senior officer in the police force finally begins to believe him that his weird neighbour is probably a serial killer, so said older, experienced officer goes into the potential serial killer's house, without a weapon, a partner or back-up of any kind, not forgetting, of course, to take his shoes off first. Wouldn't do to break with protocol. Although the wife has a mini-breakdown after seeing the corpse of the first 'wife' and screams wildly, she does nothing when her own husband is taken hostage. First wife's daughter - who is not drugged as far as we know - is handed a weapon and the villain conveniently bends down in front of her, giving her a close-up, clear shot - does she take it? Hell no again. Despite the fact that she is fully compos mentis and he's about four foot and a coward, PLUS, she's already snitched on him twice (for all the good that does her). When she does escape does she call the police? Nope. Of course not - that would get in the way of the 'plot'.

The whole thing is like this, full of holes big enough to drive a mack truck through, so that you are so annoyed by the characters' stupidity that you just spend all your time jeering at them and thinking they deserve to die. Which is a shame, because the settings are good, the story idea is interesting and involving and the characters are good, especially the villain who plays his part excellently. I just can't forgive the stupidity.

Creepy

[kosmasp · 8/10 · 19 May 2017]

Something is off - but in a good way. Well even that may not be the right way to describe things. But you know I'm not a detective (btw. something that late in the movie is something I actually really cringed at, was the behavior of a police official, it was so out of any logical realm, it almost hurt .. the movie), so I have to rely on what the characters deliver and what I can make of it.

Some may compare this with earlier work of the director, but that might not be fair to him or the movie at hand. I do think that this is anything but ordinary and it does show the whole way through. Like our main character, there is more than meets the eye. Apart from some flaws and clichés that are being delivered, this is pretty rock solid and suspenseful from start to finish

indeed

[Hombredelfuturo · 6/10 · 22 February 2017]

...the camera work and photography are very well done; the music and sound effects go with it very precise too. The main actors deliver the rolls in a right way.

OK, the plot has potential but like most of these movies; there s a point where you need to resolve the unsolved but how do you do that? This genre has stuff that you cannot resolve in a logical way; so to the commentators that let here low stars in the ranking, I say that they do not understand what they are watching; I mean, there are concessions in the story boards to make a movie; there s art in some genres; metaphors etc; in that way you need to let the impossible to be possible.

I tell you that there are more than one creepy roll in this movie. Many disturbed people and ultra power drugs¿?¿?

Irrational people behaving dumb.

[TheTexasChainstoreManager · 4/10 · 26 October 2020]

Good looking movie with an interesting story that unfortunately falls flat because of the totally stupid and irrational behaviour from every single character (main characters, detectives(!) and police) in every single move and decision they make, which is something that drives the movie from beginning to end. One single rational and normal act early in the movie, would've ended it in 10 min.

"Look At You Now!"...

[azathothpwiggins · 10 September 2019]

Police Detective Takakura (Hidetoshi Nishijima) retires from the force after a disturbing incident results in innocent deaths, and nearly costs him his life. Now, he's a college professor living a quiet existence with his wife, Yasuko (Yuko Takeuchi). Takakura is teaching criminology, specializing in serial murderers, and it's not long before he stumbles upon an unsolved case that piques his interest.

Meanwhile, Yasuko meets their new, reclusive neighbor, Mr. Nishino (Teruyuki Kagawa), who is very strange indeed. As time goes by, Takakura is drawn deeper into the case, and Mr. Nishino reveals more of his unsettling oddness, culminating in a bizarre series of incomprehensibly horrific events.

CREEPY is a slow-building film for lovers of mysteries, crime dramas / police procedurals, suspense thrillers, as well as horror. True to its title, there is a definite atmosphere of unknown dread that increases as it plays out, along with several shocking revelations.

Something different in a genre full of by-the-numbers sameness...

Absolutely creepy..

[azarrudheenrafeeq · 7/10 · 18 April 2020]

The story revolves around a former detective who try to uncover the mystery behind the 6 years old missing case. The dark and disturbing atmosphere is the major positive thing in this movie. The outline of the story may look alike mediocre killer in lose style movie, but the way the presented the screenplay is really unique. The performance of the actor who played nishino character is really impressive, and other lead actors also done well. The first half of the movie moves like regular mystery flick , but second half of the movie especially last 30 minutes of the movie really make you feel creepy. Watch it if you are ok with disturbing and creepy psychological thriller.

Some excellent and some bad

[ilikepie-96001 · 6/10 · 18 May 2022]

This movie was a very mixed bag. A lot of the earlier scenes had excellent cinematography. However a lot of the later scenes back off from its own unique style. The acting is sub par Through the whole movie. The script was Interesting although it had some logical issues along with some Convenience issues.

Profoundly dark and disturbing - and exceptionally brilliant

[I_Ailurophile · 10/10 · 21 November 2021]

I deeply appreciate Yuri Habuka's excellent, dramatic score, filled with somber strings and horns realizing minor chords. The music does so much to build tense, disquieting atmosphere even before anything especially odd begins to manifest. Together with the highly unusual, unsettling behavior of the protagonist's new neighbors, and the mystery introduced of the unsolved case, 'Creepy' manages most deftly to hold our attention. With these aspects in mind, the runtime progresses unexpectedly quickly for how little the plot initially advances; I was surprised to glance at the clock and find that 40 minutes had already passed. And so it goes: it's easy to become invested in the story as it unfolds, until in no time we're wholly absorbed.

I've been very impressed with filmmaker Kiyoshi Kurosawa's prowess as both writer and director with several other pictures of his that I've seen, and 'Creepy' absolutely further solidifies my opinion of him. He has an outstanding gift, a keen eye for arranging fetching shots and scenes, and here especially those skills are employed with wonderful dexterity to construct a disturbing tale with refined subtlety. Furthermore, the adapted screenplay Kiyoshi penned with Chihiro Ikeda is a marvel in its slow, measured development. Suspense and a definite sense of horror gradually build with terrible unease, woven through every successive scene of the puzzle as it forms an increasingly grisly portrait. The characters are dazzlingly complex, the dialogue is engrossing, the scene writing is phenomenal, and the narrative as a whole is plainly masterful - grotesquely dark, but completely riveting, and unquestionably brilliant.

Of course the technical craft and rounding details are superb - set design and decoration above all, but also costume design, hair and makeup, effects, props, lighting, and sound design. The image is crisp and clear throughout, making the tableau all the more visceral - and the cast is terrific, all giving dynamic performances filled with gratifying range, nuance, and force of personality. It would be easy to speak at far greater length to give praise to every individual who contributed their abilities here, but make no mistake, in all ways the feature is exceptional. And what it all amounts to is film-making supporting a sterling screenplay, and all tied together with Kurosawa's characteristically exquisite direction.

The title is searingly appropriate, and the picture is sufficiently discomforting that I wouldn't recommend it to any viewer who is easily perturbed. Otherwise, however, this is so splendidly well made that I must heartily recommend it to anyone who enjoys thrillers. 'Creepy' is strikingly captivating, entertaining, and satisfying, and well worth seeking out wherever one may find it.

One of those "Huh?" movies

[info-12388 · 3/10 · 12 November 2016]

The only reason for the 3 is that the photography was well done. Everything else? Hmm... not much...

Lots of spoilers ahead.

The film becomes pretty predictable about halfway through, from the point where Mio tells the ex-detective "He's not my father", but there are some holes large enough to drive a semi through with room for a few compact cars besides. Like...

-- if Mio was so concerned about the fate of her mother, why didn't she go to the police?

-- if we assume the junior detective was killed by the deranged psycho, how did the body wind up in the torched house next door?

-- why was the ex-detective's wife unwilling to tell her husband about the psycho getting her hooked on drugs?

-- when she had the opportunity, why didn't Mio kill the psycho?

It's almost like the film just went nowhere and stayed for a brief visit because it had nothing else to say. When killing a dog provides the moment when everyone pivots back on the psycho — a moment, by the way, that was far too long in coming — you have to wonder what film all these critics went to see instead of this one? It's long, repetitive, leaves itself wide open, and has characters whose motives are just as muddled and confused as the greenlight given this thing in the first place.

very interesting

[safakonur · 9/10 · 26 December 2020]

Just ignore the rating and the bad comments and watch this perfect thriller.

Laughable result at best...

[paul_haakonsen · 3/10 · 15 April 2017]

I had some hopes and expectations to this movie, despite not knowing about it prior to finding it by sheer chance. I read the synopsis, and it sounded interesting, and thus I had some expectations to it. Plus the fact that Japan usually put some pretty good movies out there.

But "Creepy" (aka "Kurîpî: Itsuwari no rinjin") failed to deliver where it counted. Sure, it started out as a good enough movie and had potential, but then it just faltered, stumbled and never recovered from the blow that it took at the hands of director Kiyoshi Kurosawa. The movie just went downhill so fast that you could hardly blink.

The movie is about a retired police detective who has put the police life behind him and is trying to start over in a new place with his wife. But one day the neighbor's daughter tells him that her father is not actually her father, and a mystery starts to unravel, pulling in the retired detective.

Sure, the storyline had potential, but it just became a farce with the way that the story progressed and with some of the things that took place on the screen.

Actors Hidetoshi Nishijima and Teruyuki Kagawa were actually carrying the movie quite nicely, but ultimately lost the struggling battle against a poorly script. It seemed like the script was a first draft and director Kiyoshi Kurosawa didn't have time to wait for a re-written and more thought-through script and just went with the first draft.

There were so many things throughout the movie that just made little or no sense at all, and is something that you really should witness for yourself. And the plot of the story ended up being more of a laughable joke than a serious movie plot.

And I have seen some fast working drugs in movies and TV series before, but the potency of the drug used in this movie just took first place. It was just hilarious.

As much as I like Japanese movies and Asian cinemas, then it was just impossibly to overlook the flaws of "Creepy" and find something overly entertaining about it. My rating of this movie ends up at a very flat 3 out of 10 stars.

I really enjoyed this. CREEPY AF.

[EileenAtkinsFan · 10/10 · 27 June 2023]

The negative reviews on this seem a little irrational as if they are review bombing this movie, so be your own critic. With that said, I thoroughly enjoyed this: it's a psychological thriller that highlights a villain that uses emotional and psychological manipulation similar to what a cult leader would do. I would have liked just a bit more from the ending but the scream at the end, the hysterical cry out by the wife perfectly wrapped this film up in a bow. Thank god they didn't kill the dog in this movie. Then I really would have been pissed and maybe even joined the negative reviewers on this comment section. We love dogs.

Disappointing...

[jimrin · 4/10 · 10 December 2019]

I decided to watch this movie based on a 91% rating on Rotten Tomatoes... I should have known better based on lower viewer reviews.

Teruyuki Kagawa did an excellent job playing a very creepy character. That's really the only highlight of the film. The plot/script holes are what killed it for me.

It probably would have been easy to fix the plot/script holes. The way Takakura treats Saki during questioning is rather pathetic. He's supposed to be a professional criminal psychologist and he doesn't even know how to behave with someone with psychological scars? Or perhaps he was supposed to play an incompetent criminal psychologist as illustrated by how he was stabbed by the suspect in the earlier sequence... but then the entire police force allowed him to try to handle the hostage situation himself if he was so incompetent?

*** SPOILERS ***

But more flawed is when police chief Tanimoto and Takakura go to Nishino's house. Even knowing the likelihood Nishino is a killer, they go without requesting backup. And they separate once they get to the house with Takakura going to his house first. There's no reason for Tanimoto to go into Nishino's house by himself, but what was Takakura doing anyway? After discovering his wife was not at home, why did it take so long to get over to Nishino's house. Was he trapped in some sort of time warp? Did he have to take a dump?

These flaws could have been easily explained away which would have made the story a bit more tolerable. For example, a backup could have been on its way. It would have required a different sequence, allowing Nishino to make a getaway before the backup arriving. For example, upon arriving at the house, the wife could have screamed so both would have entered Nishino's house. They could have been separated at the house and Tanimoto could have fallen into the pit and presumably killed in similar fashion as the movie. Then the next scene, perhaps after Takakura discovers Tanimoto's body hears his wife scream from outside with Nishino, Takakura's wife, and Mio escaping in a van... Takakura follows in the police car. After they drive off, then the backup arrives only to find no car, so all that happened prior to the backup arriving would happen over two minutes (movie time)... and then upon entering the house, police find the dead Tanimoto. Eventually, Takakura catches up to Nishino where the scene takes place where Takakura seems to get the wife to abandon Nishino... The wife screaming at the house and then leading Takakura on a chase would have shown more of Nishino's brilliance. Of course, this would be a much faster pace than in the movie to allow for the backup to arrive at the scene in a reasonable timeframe and not affect the plot and this is not necessarily Kurosawa's methodic style, but while people doing stupid things in movies might be explained by the characters being stupid, for a police chief not to even consider calling for backup is beyond stupidity, so it's more of he deserve what he got... and when you no longer care about the characters in the movie, it's no longer entertainment to me.

Men and Their Obsessions

[captainpass · 8/10 · 26 August 2020]

As in Hitchcock's "Vertigo," we meet our main character, Takakura, as he is about to be debilitated-- in this movie, due to a mix of his (over) confidence in his own ability to understand others and his willingness to "cut corners" as far as process goes (two themes that reoccur throughout the movie right up to the ending). When we next meet him, he is now a university teacher, living in a new home in a new neighborhood with his wife (Yasuko). They attempt to exchange pleasantries with the neighbors, including the very strange Nishino, but are basically rebuffed.

Meanwhile, teacher-Takakura is slowly turned back into detective-Takakura through an old cold case in which Takakura begins to take an interest: a family from the area that disappeared, leaving behind only a daughter. Takakura and his colleague locate the daughter and begin working (and later, literally, forcing) her to "help them help her" by having her remember details--including the role played by a strange man who might be responsible for the disappearances.

About half-way through the movie, the pieces start to fall into place: Takakura is now obsessed with solving the cold case, believing his strange neighbor is somehow connected to it. Meanwhile, his obsession has turned his marriage sour, with some unfortunate impact on Yasuko. We also discover just why Nishino--himself a man who believes in his own ability to "read" people and use them to his own ends-- is indeed "creepy."

Kurosawa used police procedural techniques to great effect in "Cure" (1997). And the intense Detective Takabe of that film finds his twin in Detective Takamura. However, if there is a problem with "Creepy", it is that it does trade somewhat uneasily between American police procedural, moral allegory and psychological thriller in the Hitchcock/Aster vein, with the result that the coincidences and character decision-making that other viewers complain about can seem a bit incongruous. That said, I did not find this flaw (if it is even that) to detract from the overall effect of the movie, and its length seemed appropriate. While the ending leans more in the direction of "conventional" police procedural, I found that to be a relief: a "humanistic" way to resolve the disturbing choices that Takakura and Yasuko have each made throughout the movie.

This is the sort of movie that does require a second viewing. There are little details (say, the use of very particular body postures by the actors) that are used very effectively throughout the movie, but are easy to miss on the first viewing.

Anyway, highly recommended.

Good photography ridiculous characters

[schurr64 · 3/10 · 29 January 2017]

I watched this thinking it sounded interesting.I have never been to Japan so I had no idea if the people there are incredibly weak minded & easily led but I think not.{SPOILER ALERT}If you believe this movie the women will do anything you tell them without any thinking in between even if it threatens their survival.The characters were just plain stupid.The plot is an ex-detective moves next store to a creepy guy who has a youngster that says she doesn't even know the man that is supposed to be her father.That would be all I needed to hear to call the police but if you believe this plot line you just keep suspending your thinking for the sake of the plot.I feel I wasted the time I watched this movie due to the implausibility of situations & the characters behavior.I will never watch it again.