I had high expectations for "Cure", partly because I'm intrigued by serial-killer stories and several people had claimed this one was even better than "Seven" and "Silence of the Lambs" (ahem!) but mostly because this movie was released shortly BEFORE the Asian horror/thriller hype forever broke loose with "Ringu". Maybe this still was an Asian thriller that is genuinely good and/or earned its cult reputation in an honest way, rather than because everyone praises it blindly? Well, the answer is yes...and no. The basic premise of "Cure" is truly compelling and Kiyoshi Kurosawa's filming style is definitely impressive, but eventually the exaggerated complexity ruins the whole lot. Just once, I'd like to see a Japanese occult-thriller that doesn't leave me scratching my head after the final denouement. Anyway, let's just focus on the first hour and the atmosphere! Fatigue copper Takabe is tormented by a mysterious series of killings in Tokyo. The culprits are always caught immediately at the scene of the crime and, even though they're seemly unrelated, they're all highly unlikely assassins and mysteriously marked their victims' bodies with a large "X". The one thing they all have in common turns out to be a brief encounter with Mr. Mamiya; an odd drifter with amnesia and a dubious past involving the study of hypnosis. "Cure" features a high tension level during the first hour (when the murders still are a giant riddle) and you also definitely sympathize with the main characters. Detective Takabe is a good man with noble ideals, the unfortunate "murderers" truly evoke feelings of compassion and Mr. Mamiya has a fascinating personality, despite his malicious (?) intentions. The acting performances are amazing and Kurosawa patiently gives his cast the opportunity to show their versatile talents. There's few explicit gore but several highly disturbing images of mutilated corpses and suicides that really aren't for the weak-hearted. The music is excellent and Kurosawa's directing is solid up until the last sequences, when he regretfully leaves too many questions unanswered and relies too much on the supernatural aspect.
