Cure

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Cure

Released Jul 7, 2001

1h 50m

Crime

Drama

Horror

Mystery & Thriller

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

94%

Tomatometer

64 Reviews

85%

Popcornmeter

5,000+ Ratings

"Cure" is part atmospheric crime film and part philosophical meditation. Detective Takabe (Koji Yakusho) is tracking a series of identical murders, committed under the same bizarre circumstances. Nothing seems to connect the murders and Takabe becomes increasingly frustrated...

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Critics Consensus

Mesmerizing and psychologically intriguing.

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Jake Cole

Slant Magazine

It was here that Kurosawa Kiyoshi's distinctive approach to genre film fully bloomed, an oblique form of horror that unsettles precisely for how much exists outside the frame as much as what lies within it.

Oct 18, 2022

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Anton Bitel

Little White Lies

an increasingly hallucinatory piece where murderousness is a disease spreading rapidly through the susceptible Japanese psyche.

Apr 23, 2018

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Jonathan Rosenbaum

Chicago Reader

It's unsatisfying as a story precisely because it aspires to create a mounting sense of dread by enlarging questions rather than answering them.

Oct 17, 2011

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Sean Axmaker

Stream on Demand

... the deliberate pace may try the patience of some viewers, but it sets a perfect backdrop for the coldly matter-of-fact killings, which Kurosawa films with the passion of a blasé voyeur.

Oct 21, 2024

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Jack Gross

Loud and Clear Reviews

a hauntingly intricate and deeply inquisitive thriller that questions the concepts of human morality, reason, and repression unlike any other film.

Rated: 5/5

Aug 3, 2024

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Noah Gittell

Washington City Paper

Only a filmmaker as disciplined as Kurosawa would be able to live in such mysteries without losing their audience.

Jan 19, 2024

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Mason M

Quite possibly one of the scariest films I've ever seen, this haunting thriller that feels like No Country For Old Men directed by Michael Haneke is one of the best horror films of all time. I'm not usually a big fan of police or detective films, but this one is like no other. It unravels in a way that I never expected, has absolutely stunning cinematography, and features the best psychopath I've ever seen put to film. Cure is a must-see horror that will leave most thoroughly disturbed.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

02/01/25

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Allan C

From the director of PULSE, I was expecting a supernatural J-Horror flick, but this was instead more of a grizzly serial killer movie along the lines of SEVEN. A detective investigates a series of murders committed by different people who, after their violent crimes, have no memory of their heinous acts. I kept waiting for a big supernatural turn but was surprised when the film went in a different direction, which was interesting but was not all that plausible for a movie that seemed to be striving for some realism. Still, it was an intriguing story, and I wanted to see where it was going, making it well worth watching despite its lack of credulity and rather deliberately slow pace.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

12/24/24

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Елисей Э

Хз я быдло тупое 6/10

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

01/03/25

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Landon J

Boring, long, confusing, and not suspenseful in my opinion. Horror fans will not find this scary, fails to be unsettling in any meaningful way.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

10/31/24

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Isa B

Atmospheric. Mesmerizing. The true genius of this film is that it serves to sort of hypnotize its audience. It puts you in a trance with its surreal imagery and mysterious plot. I love Kōji Yakusho in this film. He gave a tremendous performance. I love the ambiguous ending as well. Cure is my kind of film. A true masterpiece in Japanese cinema. I highly recommend. 97/100

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

10/31/24

Full Review

J S

Mesmerizing, literally!!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

10/13/24

Full Review

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Kiyoshi Kurosawa

Director

Kôji Yakusho

Ken-ichi Takabe

Tsuyoshi Ujiki

Makoto Sakuma

Anna Nakagawa

Fumie Takabe

Masato Hagiwara

Kunio Mamiya

Kiyoshi Kurosawa

Writer

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Synopsis

"Cure" is part atmospheric crime film and part philosophical meditation. Detective Takabe (Koji Yakusho) is tracking a series of identical murders, committed under the same bizarre circumstances. Nothing seems to connect the murders and Takabe becomes increasingly frustrated...

Director: Kiyoshi Kurosawa
Producer: Tetsuya Ikeda, Satoshi Kanno, Tsutomu Tsuchikawa, Atsuyuki Shimoda
Screenwriter: Kiyoshi Kurosawa, Kiyoshi Kurosawa
Distributor: Criterion Pictures, Cowboy Pictures
Production Co: Universal/Universal Int
Genre: Crime, Drama, Horror, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: Japanese
Release Date (Theaters): Jul 7, 2001, Wide
Release Date (DVD): Aug 9, 2005
Box Office (Gross USA): $94.6K
Runtime: 1h 50m
Sound Mix: Stereo, Dolby Stereo
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)

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