Cure

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Cure

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1h 50m

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94%

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64 Reviews

85%

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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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Mark C

Every so often I enjoy a film like this, full of intrigue, but not many answers on the surface level. The movie was shot with a sense of dread and was gripping despite the lack of explicit answers. If done ham fisted way, you get LongLegs.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

07/11/25

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Stephen C

Success in 1 hour and 50 minutes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! In Japanese and American English audio options with American English subtitles!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The USA grossed over $94,600.00!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

07/05/25

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James J

There honestly isn’t much to say about Cure. It’s utterly perfect. One of the easiest 5s I’ve ever given. Kurosawa builds dread through silence, stillness, and that constant, gnawing tension that anything could go wrong at any second. It’s insanely haunting and packed with more than a few jaw-dropping moments.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

06/18/25

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Sophie P.

This film is so unsettling… but I immediately wanted to watch it again for the breadcrumbs I missed on first watch. Lots to unpack!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

06/04/25

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Roronoa Z

A eerie, spine chilling experience with a ending that's perfect in every aspect.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

05/30/25

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K Y

Sticking to the core of what it means to be SCARY. Kiyoshi Kurosawa got it.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

03/06/25

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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: Cowboy Pictures, Criterion 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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