Made in: Japan
Idiom: Japanese
SynopsisBased on the Japanese manga (comic series) of the same title by Tsugumi Oba and Takeshi Obata, the plot involves a college student named Light Yagami (Tatsuya Fujiwara). Light hopes to become a police detective one day and studies diligently to achieve his goal.
He hates crime and corruption, and while walking home one night, he finds a supernatural notebook owned by Ryuk, the God of Death (voiced by Shido Nakamura). Light learns that any human’s name written in the notebook will die, and soon goes to work ridding the world of murderers and thieves.
He takes an alias known as Kira and soon becomes a controversial underground celebrity. Light wields his power mercilessly and discovers that the act of writing in the notebook also gives him the divine ability to control an individual’s actions and alter the course of a person’s destiny.
With Ryuk’s company, Light uses his brilliant intellect to demand his personal form of justice while staying one step ahead of the law.
But the law is trying to locate him, and Light finds himself being hunted by a mysterious detective known only as “L” (Kenichi Matsuyama). “L” is as bright as Light, and the cat and mouse game intensifies when both are tested to the limits of their intellect.
The good: Death Note it’s a cleverly developed story with a great plot. The supernatural element is very complex, but it is clearly explained and contained within the context of the story. All possible holes in the plot are expertly plugged, which is impressive because this movie could have easily fallen apart.
The twists of the story are so well thought out and ultimately this is an unpredictable movie that will keep you engaged until the very end. Light is a fascinating protagonist, and his God complex reveals several amazing philosophical / ethical talking points.
Although I never read the original comic book series or watched the anime version, Death Note seems to be a very successful adaptation. Much of the nuances of the story and common characters in the comic series are preserved, making this an experience as fun as it is complicated.
The bad: Some of the digital effects involving Ryuk are a bit silly. And because of the ending, the full impact of this movie will only be fully enjoyed at the first glance.
Who would like this movie?: I recommend it Death Note primarily for the 18-35 age group. It’s a very smart movie, and not necessarily just for fans of foreign movies.
You will enjoy it if you are a fan of comics (especially Japanese manga), thrillers, and imaginative stories. It is an adaptation of a comic that visually opts for elegance and subtlety over garish coloring.
(3 1/2 out of 4 stars)
director: Shusuke Kaneko
Starring: Tatsuya Fujiwara, Shido Nakamura, Takeshi Kaga, Yu Kashii, Asaka Seto, Kenichi Matsuyama
Year: 2006
Review written by: Joe Yang
