Matt Cooper Films

Midsummer’s Equation (2013) by Hiroshi Nishitani

While on a business trip, physics professor Yukawa (Masaharu Fukuyama) finds himself caught up in the investigation of a mysterious death at a seaside inn. After arriving in town as part of a team of scientists attempting to show the value of a controversial sea-drilling operation, Yukawa checks-in to an inn run by Setuko (Jun Fubuki) and Shigeru (Gin Maeda) who live with their daughter Narumi (Anne Watanabe). The couple’s nephew Kyohei (Hikaru Yamazaki) has also arrived in town and is looking forward to the summer break; but things take a dark turn when another guest, ex-police detective Tsukahara (Sansei Shiomi) is found dead on the beach. It appears that Tsukahara was part of an investigation into a murder in Tokyo fifteen years prior, following which Narumi and her parents moved from the capital. Officer Kishitani (Yuriko Yoshitaka) asks Yukawa for his assistance, but the professor soon discovers that the family has more than one secret.

Following on from 2008’s “Suspect X“, director Hiroshi Nishitani tackles another Higashino Keigo adaptation in “Midsummer’s Equation”, an enjoyable who-dunnit set in a picturesque seaside town. This juxtaposition between the dark subject matter of Tsukahara’s murder, and the stabbing that starts the film, alongside the brightly coloured locale works well, offering a clear-eyed look at the case as Yukawa himself views it without prejudice. The incredible underwater sequences and stunning backdrop make for a highly enjoyable watch and you are in little doubt that the genius Yukawa will eventually wrap up the entire case. The ensemble cast do a great job, particularly Anne Watanabe’s Narumi, a conscientious young woman who harbours a dark secret; and the young Hikaru Yamazaki as Kyohei, whose innocence provides the perfect foil for Yukawa’s deliberations.

“Midsummer’s Equation” examines the lengths people will go to to protect those closest to them. Morality is far from black-and-white with people caught between loyalty and self-preservation. The subplot of the sea-drilling opereations that threaten the natural order are a perfect encapsulation of the film’s philosophy, one in which the right action may not always be the just one. There are questions over the extent to which personal responsibility factors into the guilt of a suspect. Crime takes many forms, often committed in the heat of the moment, or unwittingly, as in the film, or coldly pre-meditated. The film attempts to distinguish between the levels of guilt attributable to these varying acts, despite the results being the same. An interesting detective tale that utilises a great cast of characters to explore the nuances of criminality.

Matt Cooper Films

Stray Dog (1949) by Akira Kurosawa

Toshiro Mifune and Takashi Shimura reunite (after working together in Kurosawa’s ‘Drunken Angel’) in this crime noir thriller as homicide detectives investigating multiple murders with a stolen police pistol. Detective Murakami (Mifune) fears his career may have reached a premature conclusion when his gun is stolen by a pickpocket. His boss Nakajima tasks him with finding the pistol, putting him in touch with forensic firearms officer Ichikawa. When the gun is used in a murder, Murakami is partnered with veteran detective Sato (Shimura) and the two attempt to recover the weapon before more harm is done. Murakami and Sato pound the summer streets of Tokyo in a desperate bid to find the stolen pistol and the killer.

“Stray Dog” again features the fantastic on-screen chemistry of Mifune and Shimura in this dark police procedural. Mifune is captivating as the fresh detective battling his sense of regret and responsibility at losing the gun used in the murders. The film builds tension asMurakami and Sato chase down leads and interrogate suspects through the murky Tokyo underworld. Director Kurosawa, who co-wrote the script with Ryuzo Kikushima, creates an oppressive noir atmosphere through characters struggling with the sweltering summer heat. An early sequence in which we see Murakami trailing through the udnerworld of Tokyo as he tries to find his pistol brings home to us the difficulty of his position as he finds closed mouths and suspects unwilling to talk. In this and a later baseball scene the film may have benefitted from tighter editing, but it draws us in to the detectives’ world of antagagonistic witnesses and suspicion, ramping up a sense of desperation as they are unable to move forward with the investigation. The two track eventually track down a chorusgirl, Harumi Namiki (Keiko Awaji), whose relationship with the gunman Yusa (Isao Kimura) creates further problems for the detectives. She is unwilling at first to give up information on her lover. The film builds sees the two chasing the killer through a thunderstorm and the pouring rain further heightens the dread atmosphere. Soundtrack by Fumiko Hayakawa.

Stray dog features incredible performances by the main cast and a thrilling police drama as we see the footwork and effort that goes in to cracking a case. In this post-war Japan, danger still lurks at every street corner and the fears and suspicions that run through the society create an atmosphere as oppressive as the Tokyo heat. Well worth a watch for fans of crime films with a solid case and the perfect partnership of Mifune and Shimura to follow it through.

Matt Cooper Films

Death at an Old Mansion (1975) by Yoichi Takabayashi

Famed detective Kousuke Kindaichi faces an intellectually challenging mystery in this locked-room crime thriller based on the book “The Honjin Murders” by Seishi Yokomizo. On the wedding night of Kenzo Ichiyanagi (Takahiro Tamura) with his beautiful bride Katsuko (Yuki Mizuhara) they are found dead in a locked outside room, a bloodied katana stuck in the ground outside and a bloody trail of finger marks down one wall. Inspector Isogawa (Eishin Tono) arrives and soon concludes that the killer may be a three-fingered vagrant who appears to bear a grudge against Kenzo. When a friend of the family, Kosuke Kindaichi (Akira Nakao), arrives he turns his attention to the case and soon finds a series of peculiar clues that lead him to a shocking conclusion.

Director Yoichi Takabayashi creates a respectful cinematic version of Seishi Yokomizo’s classic mystery tale. The film follows the traditional whodunnit pattern, and the plot of the novel, with a large cast of characters, including Kenzo’s sister Suzuko (Junko Takazawa) and brother Saburo (Akira Nitta); and Katsuko’s uncle Ginzo (Kunio Kaga). The early scenes of the wedding feast are packed with intrigue, with suspicious glances and tensions bubbling beneath the surface. Takabayashi does a great job with misdirecting the viewer with red herrings before revealing the ingenious, if somewhat improbable, solution to the case. The film leans into the gruesomeness of the crime, with a gory murder scene and brutal slaying. It also relies on flashbacks to the slaying and recreations of what the characters imagined happens. These sepia-toned segments, shorn of dialogue, are a fun way to show the various theories surrounding the deaths of Kenzo and Katsuko.

“Death at an Old Mansion” will appeal to fans of old-school detective tales, with a fun combination of Isogawa’s well-meaning inspector and Kindaichi’s unconventional approach to solving the mystery. The performance by Akira Nakao as the improbable genious detective shows us an ever-active mind, focus trained on minor details that always turn out to be the key to some new revelation. There is also a dark, morbid undertone to the story, which largely keeps the spotlight on the particulars of solving the case. This is achieved through the creative elements such as the occasional shots of the two koto strings ringing in the rain; and also Junko Takazawa’s characterisation of Suzuko, whose fey and childlike character seems to be somehow tenuously balanced between the worlds of the living and the dead. The film does a great job of sticking to the original story, while also embossing it with creative direction, use of colour and artistic elements that evoke a deeper emotional connection to the victims.

Matt Cooper Films

The Adventures of Kosuke Kindaichi (1979) by Nobuhiko Obayashi

Famous detective Kosuke Kindaichi (Ikko Furuya) finds himself entangled in a mysterious case involving the missing head of a statue. A group of roller-skating, clown-costumed, art thieves are causing havoc with a spate of robberies. When they accost Kindaichi Kosuke and ask him to return to his only unsolved case, involving famous artist Haida, he sees the opportunity to finally answer that outstanding mystery. Along with officer Todoroki (Kunie Tanaka) and the leader of the theives Maria (Miyuki Matsuda), Kindaichi encounters a series of comedic situations in search of the culprits.

Based (very loosely) on the works of popular crime author Seishi Yokomizo, “The Adventures of Kosuke Kindaichi” is part detective story, part slapstick comedy, and part self-referential, fourth-wall breaking satire. The film credits Yokomizo’s work as its basis, with a screenplay by Koichi Saito and Akira Nakano, but it is director Nobuhiko Obayashi’s style that colours every moment of this lively crime caper. The Kindaichi of the film is a caricaturish figure playing up to his reputation as a dishevelled detective, with exaggerated tics such as scratching his head and his unkempt style marking him out as a figure of fun. The film rarely takes itself seriously, with numerous wordplay gags, pratfalls, animated moments, inexplicable appearances of Superman, and surrealist comedy representative of the counter-cultural trend tearing down revered figures. There are references to various Kindaichi cases from the books, a fun in-joke for those familiar with Yokomizo’s work. If you are a fan of the books however, this film will probably not be for you, as it seems to almost mock the very notion of the character. Obayashi brings the character of Kindaichi to the contemporary era of discotheques and rollerskating youths; and creates a bizarre confusion of non-sequitur humour and punchlines without set-ups. Later in the film there is even a Seishi Yokomizo cameo as his royalties for the Kindaichi stories are delivered, further muddying the waters about what is going on.

“The Adventures of Kosuke Kindaichi” is either an incomprehensible mess, a kaleidoscopic comic masterpiece, or a multi-layered self-reflective work that considers Kosuke Kindaichi as a fictional character as well as the protagonist of this story; and that comments on the police force and its depiction in media. Obayashi does not constrain himself to conventional storytelling, which can be both a good and a bad thing, allowing for an artistic and unique style that is able to express more than a straightforward story would; but also means throwing in several ill-fitting elements, the murder and mayhem struggling to find a tonal balance. The film is likely to have a mixed response, the audience’s enjoyment based on the extent to which they are willing to leave pre-conceptions and expectation behind and give in to the bohemian daring of Obayashi’s filmmaking.

Matt Cooper Films

First Love (2021) by Yukihiko Tsutsumi

Forensic psychologist Yuki (Keiko Kitagawa) is interviewing a young murderer for a new book. The girl, Kanna (Kyoko Yoshine), has apparently murdered her father and told police that they will have to find out why she did it. As Yuki begins loooking into Kanna’s past, her relationship with her mother and father, and her mistreatment at the hands of several men, it awakens dark memories of her own. Yuki is also forced to confront lawyer Kasho (Tomoya Nakamura), the brother of her husband Gamon (Yosuke Kubozuka), with whom she shares a secret.

Based on a novel by Rio Shimamoto, Tsutsumi’s film is a detective thriller in which the details of the case are less important than the reasons behind this crime. Kanna’s depiction early on, with a bloody knife and her seemingly apathetic response to killing her father suggests a psychopathic personality, but we soon discover the various traumas that led her to this moment. Yuki appears to be heading in the other direction, with a composed front disguising past heartache and emotional stress. The confrontations between Yuki and Kanna, either side of Perspex in a prison interview room are a highlight of the film, with outstanding performances by both Keiko Kitagawa and Kyoko Yoshine. The supporting cast are also great in nuanced roles, in particular Hoshi Ishida as Yuji, a young man who had a relationship with Yuki when she was younger. The script can be quite on-the-nose, driving home its themes of how childhood trauma can affect people and the horrors of child abuse. This often comes across in large expository scenes where they make sure that you understand what is happening; it may have benefitted from a more subtle approach. The film doesn’t shy away from difficult issues, with paedophilia, child abuse and exploitation, self harm, and sexual abuse being a large part of the plot. These things are mentioned in a very matter-of-fact way, which is appropriate for the psychologist and detectives objective viewpoint and also makes them more terrifying by the apparent ubiquity and mundane nature of these actions. The best moments of the film come with these revelations, which are genuinely heart-breaking. However, the film sometimes struggle to keep up a sense of tension and balance. In particular it ties together the stories of Yuki and Kanna in a way that is not wholly satisfactory, drawing a parallel between their stories that never quite rang true. In terms of the tone also the piano and strings score often seems overly sentimental, lacking the darker tones suggested by the story and being at odds with what is happening on screen. The film does feature some exceptional cinematography, utilising the interview room at the prison to great effect with the reflections of Yuki and Kanna showing their connection.

“First Love” is a film about childhood trauma and how it affects development. Both Yuki and Kanna suffered difficult incidents involving their fathers and other men, with the constant threat of sexual violence causing severe emotional detachment and unease in society. The film portrays these things in a subtle yet powerful way, with Yuki’s father gazing at schoolgirls, or the disturbing drawing of a young Kanna beside two naked male figures. One of the most troubling elements of the film is Kanna’s relationship with Yuji, which the film perhaps had too little time to delve into. Helped by Hoshi Ishida’s performance, the courtroom scene towards the end of the film is a devastating depiction of a man who has failed in his duty of protection to this young girl, his shame and regret evident. “First Love” can be a difficult watch due to the subject matter, but the excellent cast and beautiful cinematography make it worthwhile. It has very little in the way of answers, but in terms of raising awareness of these issues it does a spectacular job.