In a Nutshell. Mini reviews of movies old and new. No fuss. No spoilers. And often no sleep.

Wednesday 9 November 2011

Nightmare Detective (2006)

Sometimes, you want to curl up with a good mystery. And sometimes, you're willing to watch any movie with the word "Detective" in the title. The latter is why I watched Nightmare Detective, but the film wound up being a pleasant surprise. Unbeknownst to me, Nightmare Detective is the work of Shinya Tsukamoto, who has built a cult following thanks to his Tetsuo films. While I wasn't always a fan of the movie's shaky camera work, Tsukamoto's talent for visuals is on full display here, and the dream worlds are wonderful eye candy.

Unfortunately, the film's plot was a little generic. This movie seems to rely on a lot of American horror movie tropes, and the script never measures up to the bleak, creepy visuals. Kyoichi Kagenuma is an interesting hero, but most of the other character were lacking. If you don't mind the film's derivative nature, it's an interesting watch, and even if it does put you off, it's still a visual treat.

3 metaphoric murders out of 5

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