A Fugitive From the Past

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william d I thought this film was a bit of a snoozer for the first half, but things kicked into gear nicely in the second. Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Audience Member This Japanese "New Wave" film from Tomu Uchida uses its extended length (about 3 hours) to achieve a very real feeling sensation that our past acts can and will come back to haunt us. Part police procedural, part character study, part social realism/criticism, the film is certainly unpredictable. With a few experimental flourishes thrown in (switching to negative or to "grayscale" when characters are introspecting or when pivotal events occur) and with an almost spooky undertone (heralded in by a brief séance that invokes a voice from hell), the narrative wanders across three broad acts: the set-up wherein we learn about crimes that take place in desperate post-war Japan during a typhoon and ferry disaster and the subsequent police investigation in Hokkaido; a lengthy middle section where we follow Sachiko Hidari, a poor prostitute, who on first glance seems a secondary character who has had an incidental but important interaction with Rentaro Mikuni, the pragmatic villain; and the conclusion, ten years later, when everything catches up with Mikuni, now a successful businessman. As some have noted, the events in the narrative may invoke the concept of "Karma" although it also is a typical convention of many Hollywood films to have bad acts eventually compensated with doom or punishment. Worth a look. Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/04/23 Full Review Audience Member very impressive post-war crime drama from my new favorite director, tomu uchida, the film skillfully weaves the history of a man caught up in circumstances that implicate him in a crime through no fault of his own. fearing no one will believe his story, he makes a new life for himself with ill-gotten gains, until one day the past comes knocking. the middle section reminded me a lot of imamura's 'vengeance is mine', made a dozen years later Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/09/23 Full Review Audience Member Le Détroit de la Faim en Fr. Fresque sociale peut-être, mais aussi film policier de 3H. Les personnages peuvent disparaître alors qu'on a vécu une grande partie du film avec eux (De Palma n'a rien inventé...) mais ne vivent jamais "en parallèle": l'anti film choral et ça fait du bien ! À noter la présence de textures d'images très rares dans le cinéma de cette époque (effet image négative, effet de contours, on dirait même parfois des images vidéo!) ainsi qu'une bande son tout à fait étrange et moderne. Rated 3/5 Stars •  Rated 3 out of 5 stars 01/13/23 Full Review Audience Member A highly elaborated thriller, with a very intense plot, very well narrated. You never lose interest towards the story. Superb work from the cast (Ken Takakura, the eternal master!). It's a crime to miss this crime story! Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/02/23 Full Review Audience Member The best Japanese film so far. Great drama, superb acting, visually stunning! Just unforgettable: Rentaro Mikuni. Rated 4.5/5 Stars •  Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 02/12/23 Full Review Read all reviews

A Fugitive From the Past

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